Limits to Hospital Charges

[Brandon Cogle]

Jurisdiction

Alabama

Hi, this is my first post on here.


I recently received medical treatment at a local hospital ER. The only treatment I received is three stitches on my finger. I only had contact with three hospital employees including the receptionist. There was no ambulance and no x ray. I do not have insurance, but I still think that they have severly overcharged me. So far, I have received three bills l, totalling nearly $3,000 dollars. After the first bill, they said I was finished paying, but then on the second bill, they said that I then had to pay a Doctor Who was overseeing my treatment that I didn't directly see.
I just talked to a local lawyer who told me there is absolutely no limit to what they can charge me.

What I want to know is: is this really true to the inth degree? Can they charge me into the millions for this one visit? The billions?

If so, I really wish I had known, because next time,my life, much less, a mere finger would NEVER be worth receiving treatment again in this country.

 

[army judge]

Hospital charges can be very costly.

 

[Tax Counsel]

Hi, this is my first post on here.

What I want to know is: is this really true to the inth degree? Can they charge me into the millions for this one visit? The billions?

No, it's not true that they could charge you millions or billions for that minor care and make it stick. But while ERs do charge a lot for this kind of thing, $3000 is likely to be enforced if push came to shove. You may, however, push back a bit and try to get the hospital and doctor to come down on the fees.

 

[zddoodah]

So...you'd be willing to cut off your finger for $3,000? Wow....

In the absence of a contractual agreement regarding the price, the medical providers will be limited to charging what is customary and reasonable in your geographic area. $3,000 is not likely to be regarded as either excessive or unreasonable. That said, I certainly agree that you can try and negotiate the bills down.

 

[Highwayman]

Next time try some type of walk-in urgent care facility. The charges are likely to be less than a hospital ED.

 

[cynthiag]

Last year I went to the ER with a bad nosebleed. I literally sat in a room alone for an hour bleeding, then they came in and told me to pinch my nose for 15 minutes. Once I'd done that and the bleeding finally stopped, they put several shots of nasal spray up my nose to constrict the blood vessels. They then drew blood to go to the lab and I sat there for another hour waiting for the results, but that was all they did. No x-rays, no scans, no nothing, just a few minutes of a nurse's time, a few minutes of a doctor's time, plus the two boxes of tissues I used up while my nose was bleeding. Total cost was over $5,000.

Any time you go to the ER it's going to be spendy. I agree with Highwayman, try to find an urgent care facility, which should be less expensive. Unfortunately for me, we don't have anything like that here so I was stuck with the ER. I always say that if you go to the ER, they charge you rent for the amount of time you're in the room.

 

[KatDini]

Out of the $3k, you (and your insurance company) helped pay for the power, the facility, the staff (including cleaners and IT people), water, supplies, and for people who are under/uninsured/charity. Plus, your insurance company has no doubt managed to arrange a fee schedule with the hospital system that is lower than it might have been if you went in as self-pay.

Next time, use urgent care. It is available in Alabama and it's what it is for.