I just got my ER bill after my bout with pneumonia!

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

Anyone want to guess how much? The closest one gets .... well, nothing, because everything I have must be now given to the ER Gods.

Here is the background: I just relocated to NC, started a job and my new insurance has not yet kicked in (did not want to shell out over $700 a month for COBRA either). I began having severe coughing and then, all of the sudden, high fever and chills. Despite feeling like total crap, I still managed to get to work, except for one day when I could not get out of bed.

After the fourth day, nothing in my condition changed. I still had a very high fever, etc. So, begrudgingly, my husband and I decided it was time to go to the ER (it was a Sunday night; all other places were closed).

Here's what I got:

-chest x-ray
-sputum culture
-breathing treatment
-a few minutes with a respiratory therapist (no more than 5 minutes)
-a few minutes with the PA (didn't see an MD)
-a few minutes with the nurse
-blood pressure and O2 check

All in all, it took about 7 hours (mostly, waiting).

So, who feels lucky to venture a guess?

[northzax]

1. ER? hmm

$4300.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

3. Wrong!

Incredibly, the final bill was a bit lower than that, but you're nowhere close so... better luck next time!

[Whoa_Nelly]

2. $3,426.49

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

4. warmer... but no cigar!

[LeftyMom]

5. Hmmm. No surgery, no ambulance, no $5 aspirin or $10 bandaids.

Mark me down for $2200.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

7. wow... we have a winner! Ding ding ding

It was $2,300, plus or minus. Good job!

You won... er, nothing!

Thanks for playing.

As a serious aside, health care in this country is seriously f!@#ed up, but we all knew that.

[LeftyMom]

12. Three stitches in my thumb cost $800 once, and that was almost 15 years ago.

The next time I needed stitches, I did them myself.

[Maine-ah]

16. wow. not bad.

how's a 20k sound? Yep, that's what it cost us to have our little girl. 24 hours of non-progressive labor, all sorts of good drugs, ending in a c-section. No health insurance. Luckily, I got a call from patient referal services, and it's being covered under mainecare, and at least our little girl has insurance. It was the only thing I asked for X-mas.

You should check w/the hospital, most have programs to help you w/your bill. Good luck,




:hi:

[matcom]

6. $2400

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

8. Co-winner!!!

See post above.

[SteppingRazor]

9. $1,622.33

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

10. wrong!

thanks for trying!

The sputum culture alone was well over $1,400!

[SteppingRazor]

11. Drat! And I sooo wanted to win nothing!!

I had pneumonia last year. It sucked. ... well, actually the delirium from high fever was actually kinda fun at times. But the rest of it sucked. Get well soon!

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

13. Yes, it sucks

I'm still coughing and one side of my neck is in permanent pain from all the coughing.

The bill sucks more, though. I'll have to pay it by monthly installment, I guess.

[flamingyouth]

14. Oh dear.

I feel for you.

I was in the ER in early October with what I thought was a kidney stone. I went in there complaining of dehydration and blood in my urine. I was also vomiting. They made me wait in the lobby for almost two hours before they saw me (while I was vomiting and in massive pain). Then they finally took me back, gave me some fluids and anti-nausea meds. I felt a little better.

Couldn't really find anything wrong with me. So... their diagnosis? "You're dehydrated and have blood in your urine." Uh, no shit... didn't I tell you that when I came here?

"Oh, and maybe you should see a urologist if you continue to have problems."

It turned out that I had freaking bladder cancer. :eyes:

The final bill was almost $3000! :grr: I have crappy health insurance that I pay out-of-pocket for, so it picked up some of it.

[cobalt1999]

15. remember though...

100 years ago, you had a good chance of dying from pneumonia. Those folks would have been glad to pay that much & live. Hope you are feeling better.

[LSK]

20. so we have progressed by keeping people alive to be serfs

Thats progress?

:shrug:

[cobalt1999]

24. I think you're reading a little too much politics into my post.

Sure you can complain about the cost. Should it cost that much, IMHO, no. However, I just pointed out that not too long ago in our history, pneumonia was a potentially fatal illness for rich & poor. So, yes, living is progress over dying. One that folks less than 100 years ago would think is great progress, and so do I.

I thought something similar on a cross country middle seat coach flight. It wasn't too long ago it took people over six months and a high risk of death/injury to make it across this country. If they heard me bitch about sitting in a small but comfortable seat with someone bringing me snacks and drinks...well, I doubt I'd get much sympathy.

I've probably read too much history and talked to too many old timers in my life, it's given me a slightly different perspective.

[pitohui]

27. i know people who have died of pneumonia

so i'm not sure of your point, but people still die of this, it is not something that stopped 100 years ago, seems like they can't actually do a heck of a lot about it

the last time i had pneumonia i just stayed at home and toughed it out, i had no insurance and i didn't see how running up a big bill was going to help my situation any and in any case i was in no condition to sit up in a waiting room for hours

it begs the question of how i knew what it was, but i knew, since several people around me also had it and did get diagnosed (two people died)

[MrCoffee]

17. Take my advice...

FIGHT EVERY SINGLE BILL. We had our 2 year old daughter in the hospital for just over 30 hours with an uninsured bout of severe vomiting/dehydration. The final total was over $20K.

We fought every single bill. Some were surprisingly easy to get cut in half. We called on the doctor's bill and they automatically dropped it by 60% when we told them we were uninsured. Others were reduced bit by bit. One we took to the State AG's office.

I was about to barf myself during the process, when I learned how much the bills are AUTOMATICALLY inflated because "that's what insurance pays."

[brook]

18. bills are AUTOMATICALLY inflated because "that's what insurance pays."

A doctor also told me that they inflate them so they can collect what they think the services rendered are worth. Four, maybe five hours in the ER was billed to me at a tad over 8grand a couple of years ago.Like others upthread, I knew what it was ( a recurring problem) and what the treatment should be. They did a cat scan anyway.

[MrCoffee]

19. drove me absolutely batty

they billed me what they thought insurance would pay, even when they knew i was uninsured.

and now that i have insurance, ask me what my monthy premium is. no, don't, because i don't want to kill my computer in rage.

[xchrom]

21. merry christmas, huh?

before my dad died -- a couple of years ago he fell and broke his hip.

because he didn't have a heart attack or something that the insurance company deemed life threatening -- they wouldn't pay for his ride in the ambulance.

now he and my mom lived with me -- because they are/were very aged -- very -- and i live LESS than five minutes from the hospital.

that ride - and mind you he couldn't walk -- cost 1700 dollars.

[ikojo]

22. Does the total bill include the

charges for professional services such as
radiology interpretation: this will be billed by a radiologist who read whatever xrays were taken:there is a different charge for each xray interpretation

the pro fee for the respiratory tech

the ER "physician" charge: most ERs are staffed, not by hospital employed physicians, but by a company that provides doctors for Emergency Rooms.

the charge for the pathologist's interpretation of the lab test

[HCE SuiGeneris]

23. $8,612?

I know my bill for a night in hospital was 11K +.

[NC_Nurse]

25. I know it was at least a couple thousand.

Mine was about $8000 this summer. For Right sided numbness. I knew it was probably radiculopathy from my back, but I had to go to rule out a stroke, brain tumor, MS - all the big bad stuff.
After an MRI, CT scan, labs, IV pepcid (I took an aspirin on an empty stomach in case it was a stroke before I got there and it was killing me). Saw a couple of doctors for a few minutes each.

I was never so glad I had insurance. I still paid about $700 in copays. I'm so sorry yours hadn't kicked in. I'm glad you're okay though. You ain't got nothing without your health. :hug:

[bigwillq]

26. 2400

:shrug:

:P

Ok, I peeked.

That's a bummer.

Hope you're feeling better health wise. :hug:

[Digit]

28. Hmmm, I have a friend who had a $9300 bill

His daughter had a seizure and fell and hit her head and I believe it required some stitches.
Sounds like you got off easy.

Glad you are feeling better!

[Evoman]

29. My cousin in law got pneumonia recently and had to be hospitalized.

Guess how much he paid...NOTHING. Canadian socialized medicine...such a terrible thing. The democratic party MUST be pressured to quite spending so much on the fucking military and provide for its citizens. Cases like yours makes me scared of what would happen if we lost our insurance in Canada.

People like you deserve better.

[SPKrazy]

30. Evoman Don't Be Logical!

we have a "Christian Nation" to fund here
military and all!

onward

:puke: :puke: :puke:


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