I talked to my Dad last night.
He was upset I am not putting $300 a check into savings and I had to explain I had to pay the $900 insurance - with a tropical event due to landfall tomorrow, back property tex of at least $700, and an unexpected bill from my doctor for $500.
It seems the doctor ran some blood tests that were not covered so now I am on the hook for $470. Dad had been very insistent I go. Had I done it "my" way and paid cash for a workup from Any lab test now, I would only been out $250. They both seemed to think it was "fine" that I owed this now which is very frustrating. I only net about $12 an hour.
I also told them the blood pressure pills are making me very heat intolerant and raising my lithium levels. Mom kept saying I was going to have a stroke if I stopped them. I am at much more severe health risk if I continue and I cannot afford to keep seeing this doctor at $500 a visit.
So then I told them about the tropical blob and the likelihood that the bus company will shut down. I said I would have to pay at least $40 for cab rides to-from work and it didn't seem to make sense to work all day in severe weather only to net $30. Dad got upset over that and said I had to work anyway. The streets flood when we get heavy rain I could end up stranded somewhere.
11 comments:
Your parents have money so they don't understand.
I would call the doctors office (or have aunt do it) and tell them they ran tests that were not covered by your insurance so they are going to have to forgive the bill or reduce the bill significantly.
I am glad you decided against the blood pressure pills. Especially seeing how they were affecting you negatively. Stress is the biggest cause of high blood pressure. Exercise can help too. And really your pressure wasn't that high to warrant medication IMHO.
And I get not wanting to go into work for only $30 because of alternate transportation costs. If you have enough days off to use it would be worth it to call out.
Well the statement was from my insurance so I am hoping the Drs office will adjust.
I'm not going back, though
What kind of blood test is that expensive? Are you sure that whole charge is for the lab or do you have high deductable insurance to keep your monthly premium down?
I work in healthcare. You probably have a high deductable, but regardless preventative visits and medication should be covered 100%. Basic labs should be covered 100%. High blood pressure meds should be covered. (FYI, those were rules put in place as part of the Affordable Care Act.)
Was the bill from the doctors office? They may not have received payment from the insurer yet, that's very common. I recommend you wait a few weeks and see if your insurance pays late (some insurance companies will take months to pay - esp United, if that happens to be your insurer I don't know.)
And if for some reason the insurance company doesn't cover the outstanding balance, I would call the doctors office and ask if you can qualify for some sort of low income discount or foregiveness program. It wouldn't take more than 10 minutes.
In regards to your high blood pressure (which I have and take medication for) - its odd that the doctor put you on medication after only one reading. Blood pressure varies throughout the day and can go up if you're dehydrated, stressed or in pain. Please consider getting a blood pressure monitor (you can probably get one for $20 with your Walmart discount) and take readings over the course of a few weeks. If it's consistently elevated you definitely should take medication because it can literally add YEARS to your life. Most blood pressure medications have zero side effects, if one gives you trouble, there are plenty more out there.
I have Blue Cross and it was a statement from them that they were billed over a thousand, paid $8 (no kidding) and I will owe around $470
but you still didn't answer if you have a high deductible something is not right I still can't believe that's because of blood work you're not explaining the details. I'm not being nosy just trying to figure out why insurance isn't paying
I have a high deductible policy. All the employees say this policy is trash.
Dad had it in his head that "my way" (paying cash for a comprehensive battery of blood tests( every year wasn't sufficient and I needed "a real exam with real blood tests". He was very insistent about it.
I did it his way, I almost died of heat stroke/lithium toxicity, and I'm on the hook for $500 apparently. Although the office said an initial checkup would be covered. So who knows I will keep checking the mail.
Thanks for answering. Yes, those are trash even for young healthy people. All they have to do is break a leg and boom big bill. Did you not understand what high deductible meant? Insurance is complicated! Go on line to your insurance benefits page, it's pretty straight forward on what is covered and what isn't.
Your dad should have helped you with this since he was pushing for you to get insurance, he's being unfair about this now.
They really only had the one plan.
I am having a few red flags on Dad lately. I don't know if it's an overreaction based on my experience with Ron or bona fide matter for concern.
I went to the Walmart benefits page it looks like there are several plans to choose from, you have a choice. The problem seems to be the $1000 deductible with all plans, but after that the insurance looks pretty good.
Why don't you call the help line they have? They can help you choose a plan and answer questions you may have. I know you don't like to ask for help, but you aren't alone most people get confused with insurance and have many questions.
I don't think I get to change it until open enrollment in October. {scratching head} I'm going to wait and see what the Drs office bills me.
Last time I had a Blue Cross (self pay) policy with them I only paid like $80 for a visit with an X ray.
Post a Comment