I had a vasectomy at beginning of the year and not one cent had to be paid.

I just dont get it.

Before getting to upset over the bill, call the hospital and see what is going on. Many times the bill is much higher, then they adjust what the provider doesn't pay to the contract rate. If you are on medicaid they have contract rates for all procedures and would know you don't have the income to pay. Also check into your hospitals programs to help pay any additional bill you may owe. But first call and see what you might really owe.

HI,
Wow, that' like the bill I got for my cervical fusion...the rear plate was billed at $22,ooo!!!
Insurance allowed $10,ooo...I paid enough on this one surgery to meet the year deductible...so I'm "free" for the rest of the year!
Hope all gets straighted out, before you do have a heart attack!!
Frannie

If you are on Medicaid it is against the law to bill a Medicaid patient unless you have a spenddown. I doubt that any spenddown will be that high. It sounds to me that there are some procedures that didnt get paid or an adjustment wasnt taken. Either one is not patient responsibility. First thing Monday morning call the hospital billing department and I just about guarantee that you will be told it is not your responsibility and to disregard the statement.
Susan

Most often the first document you get from the billing department is not a bill, it's a notification. It will say something like "This is not a bill. These charges have been submitted to your health insurance carrier. You do not owe anything at this time".

The reason is they have to notify you they've submitted to insurance/medicaid/medicare.

Beyond that, know that the first bill is the charges not yet negotiated.

For example, maybe time in the OR was $3500 but Medicaid is contracted to pay $2000 for that service. Medicaid will pay their $2000 and the hospital "writes off" the remaining $1500.

So the first "bill" you see is most often a non-adjusted notification of what has been submitted for payment.

IF it has an amount you owe in the "bill" then be concerned. If it says "you do not owe anything" retain it, create a file for all correspondence related to the treatment, and just wait

Maybe you should apply to a lawyer? there might be a chance he will solve this issue. You can also get some useful tips here EDITED. I'm sure something will appear helpful for you.

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Post Edited by Authority Member Numbskull

After several surgeries over the years, I got what turned out to be statements (not bills, much to my relief) of surgeons' fees, which caused me to come within a hair's breadth of freaking. Insurance ended up paying them.

You said the statement arrived on a weekend, which made me think of the great number of times I've gotten things like that, about which I needed to talk to someone in an office, on a Saturday. Each time I've groaned at the thought of having to wait until Monday to get the matter straightened out. Test of patience, perhaps?

I'm glad everything worked out for you.

I've gotten statements before that show what was paid and what was not but eventually they either wrote it off or got the money from my insurance. I've learned not to panic from seeing hospital bills as usually everything works out. I had one hospital statement for when I was hospitalized for four weeks and it was close to a $1 million dollars. Right now I don't have any insurance and I'm thinking about getting short term health insurance until I can get group insurance.