Are Hospitals Overcharging?

Are hospitals overcharging patients? 

After my experience with one I'd say yes! Last month I needed to visit a hospital in the state of Georgia due to having excruciating chest pains, and I'm going to give you a play-by-play of what exactly happened. 

I entered the Emergency room and spoke with woman #1 who gave me paperwork and a pen to write down my information, the information was then entered into the computer. This woman then directed me to woman #2 who sat me in a small room and asked me more questions and I'm thinking, "Okay going good so far." 

Then woman #2 lead me to a bed area where I met woman #3, who asked me the same questions that woman #2 asked me. So now I'm thinking, "Couldn't she just pull it up on the computer, because I was just asked these questions?" 

Then woman #4 came in to ask me the same questions again but this time -- with three new questions thrown in. No tests were done on me as yet, just notes taken on paper.

After still being confused over my symptoms the final decision was to give me Maalox, and keep in mind that a bottle of Maalox from the store costs between $5.50 cents and $15.50 cents.

When woman #4 left the room I thought to myself, "How many different faces will I see today?" 

Then the familiar face of woman #3 came back in to give me the Maalox while she added more data to the computer. When woman #3 finished adding her data she stepped out of the room. Woman #5 came into the room with a cart and computer atop it and proceeded to ask me the same questions that I thought had died almost forty-five minutes prior, UGH! 

Then woman #5 left and woman #6 walked in smiling with a pad and pen in her hand and for some reason, I felt this conversation was about to turn my smile upside down.

Woman #6 greeted me with a "hello" and calmly asked me, "How will you pay your bill, in full or monthly payments?" While mulling this over in my head she interrupted my thoughts and asked, "How much money do you gross a month?" After I gave the information to woman #6, she then gave me a price tag of $500 dollars and more paperwork to sign my name on. 

My initial response to woman #6 was, "Whoooaaaa! Five hundred dollars?! For what?!" 

I walked into the ER myself, saw six different people that asked me redundant questions, and I never even saw the doctor whose name is printed on my paperwork. I also received two prescriptions that would run me another $20-$30 dollars.

Woman #3 appeared back in the room and walked over to enter more information in the computer. Apparently, woman #3 was annoyed by my question of, "Why is my bill $500 dollars?" 

She knew she had to give me an answer so she proceeded to explain that emergency room prices, are different from regular admittance prices in which the care is different. 

But I never received a straight answer for a diagnosis because whenever I asked it was always, "I don't know but if the pain comes back, come back and see us." 

Oh yea I'm so sure, I'll come back so I can give more of my money for no answers to my problem?! 

And how can they write prescriptions if they don't even know what's wrong with me? My point is, talking to six different people about the same thing and drinking Maalox shouldn't cost an individual five hundred dollars! With that amount of money my prescription should've been free, I mean hook a sista up! 

Surprisingly, when my hospital bill was mailed to me it wasn't for five hundred dollars, but instead three hundred and seventy-three dollars. I thought to myself, "Why the change in price?" 

Was it because I questioned woman #3 about the bill and it made her nervous? Or was it because I told them that I'm a writer which I'm sure made them even more nervous (smiles). Lucky for them I decided against using the hospital and staff names in this article, and although I still think $373 dollars is a bit to much to pay for a few conversations and Maalox, I'm still glad the price was lowered. 

By the way, the name of the medical billing company is, 'Plantation Billing Center'. I hate that name.

The Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...
 

UPDATE 2/10/08: It turns out I WAS in fact charged more than $373 dollars! I received another bill in the mail for $230 dollars! So all together I have to pay $603 dollars for receiving over the counter Maalox from the emergency room! WHAT A RIP-OFF! This is WAR! 

 

Maybe if there weren't so many people doing the same jobs, it could save the hospital more money as well as the patients.

 

 2009 LA

Are Internet Carriers Rip-offs?

Have you ever wondered why Internet carriers give you the option of choosing between DSL (a faster Internet service) and dial-up? 

Using dial-up Internet is like converting back to using beepers instead of cell phones. Obviously, everyone wants a more efficient service because the slower the Internet is the more you'll hate to use it, and then you'll be stuck paying for a slow service that you barely use.

Does it make sense to offer a low grade product when it isn't good? 

I'm assuming the high grade more expensive product is made more attractive, when you compare it to the low grade version; almost like a mind game. However, I say cut through the bs and give people what they want at an affordable rate. If a person pays twenty dollars for the Internet within a phone and cable bundled package, don't make the Internet service between $60-$70 dollars if we choose to not get the bundled package! That's such a rip-off! If you can give us the Internet for twenty bucks in a bundled package, then you can give us the Internet for twenty bucks without the bundled package, hint Comcast.

The Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm...

2009 LA