Posted on 05/09/2024 10:01:56 PM PDT by Morgana
Increasing numbers of Americans are sharing they are getting asked to pay medicals bills in advanced in order to receive vital health treatments.
Hospitals have resorted to requiring patients to pay for services in order to receive them, in an effort to battle debt as costs of operations rise. In the past, hospital would typically bill patients after a procedure.
U.S. hospitals have provided more than $620 billion in uncompensated patient care over the last 20 years, the American Hospital Association reported in 2020.
To combat the growing number of care that goes unpaid for, social media users are saying hospitals are increasingly asking them to pay in advance.
'Yo MedStar Health what's with this b******t pay before a surgery? My options are either scramble for $6k in two weeks and not pay bills after or not walk and be in pain? Cool cool,' said Robert Crews on X.
'My partner has to have hip surgery on April 11. We've already sunk $1k+ into the pre-surgery costs and set up payment plans for after,' said Morgan Lee.
'The doc called 20 minutes ago saying that if we can't pay $554.89 before April 9, the surgery won't happen.'
'We're already barely making rent and bills as it as it is, with things just getting tighter without partner's income during recovery,' Lee said.
'My 2nd grader developed appendicitis overnight. The hospital required a $1,463.93 pre-payment in the ER before they would take him for an emergency surgery but no one could tell us how they calculated that amount. Our ER copay is $250 and it's waived if you are admitted,' Dr. Emily Porter on X.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
“My partner has to have hip surgery on April 11. We’ve already sunk $1k+ into the pre-surgery costs and set up payment plans for after,’ said Morgan Lee.”
Perhaps her husband can help if her partner is too busy running the business.
While many hospitals are run by charities the hospital has staff to pay
Many restaurants require payment before you eat and folks don’t gripe about that
Unless you’re an illegal alien then it’s free like everything else.
Time to learn Spanish, I guess.
Well, fast food perhaps.
Real restaurants don't, in this country.
This did actually happen to me once, in Khabarovsk, Russian Far East thirty years ago :)
I have a CareCredit card that I can pay off interest free in 6, 12, or 18 months. Some hospitals take it.
I have only run across pay before you eat in drive-through and takeouts
True! Never in a sit down restaurant.
A meal costs tens of dollars. An operation costs thousands. Major difference there.
If the U.S. government demanded illegal trespassers pay for everything in advance, more than 10 million would not have illegally crossed into the USA during the Biden presidency. U.S. taxpayers have been paying for almost everything handed to these border jumpers.
They are illiterate, unvetted welfare recipients who bring nothing but permanent costs to American taxpayers. They bring nothing but trouble and many are criminals imported directly from jails throughout the third world.
The attack caused there to be no payments to many health care providers.
One of my friends is a surgeon and has had almost no income for a month.
those without insurance, or have medicare, or medicaid, or are illegal, they'll get the best health services.....
medicaid is the best health insurance...you pay for nothing.
I had to pay upfront for a colonoscopy/endoscopy procedure. It was covered by insurance, I had a copay, but they insisted on a 365 dollar or no procedure payment. I paid it, they did the procedure. almost a year later, I got a check from them refunding the fee with no explanation.
I pay my bills, they know this, they have patient history in those computers, especially when they ask if I am still employed at “x”. A place I haven’t been in 15 years.
I am getting awful tired of being the bad guy because of people who don’t or won’t play by the rules.
Now THAT is a problem.
No explanation and no interest on the little loan you floated them.
Now imagine that multiplied God knows how many times.
Nice little incone stream there.
Well, it beats actually treating people, eh?
Yet another reason I now have far, far more respect for used car dealers.
“how about hospital not demand it from Americans but demand up front payment from illegals?”
Because that’s how they can provide free treatment for illegals. Or should I say, that’s how WE provide free treatment for illegals.
“Many restaurants require payment before you eat and folks don’t gripe about that”
That would be a valid point if most people used restaurant insurance to pay for lunch.
Easy peesy...Just change your name to Rodriguez
I had an outpatient procedure a year or so ago at a CGI hospital. The procedure was a failure. They accepted my insurance (in network). Then, proceeded to bill me for the difference (about $38K), as if they didn’t have a pricing agreement with the insurer and were ignoring network pricing. As it was their pricing was 6x the national average for the procedure. They made many threats, all of which I recorded. When they started threatening collections I got my attorney involved and SHAZZAM! They magically saw the error of their ways and dropped the charges. Warning to anyone who is considering using a CGI-run hospital: Know going in that CGI is going out of their way to scam people. Prepare to retain an attorney.
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