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Emergency Room Cost Overcharges and Hidden Fees

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oth insured and uninsured emergency room patients claim they are charged too much because of emergency room overcharging practices. From surgery costs to administrative fees to equipment charges, ER’s routinely overcharge their patients for services.

Help is available, though. Attorneys have filed successful lawsuits against hospitals on behalf of patients (both insured and uninsured) who have been overcharged for ER treatment.

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TYPICAL TALES OF WOE

scparamedicovertime The $100 aspirin is not an anomaly. A Michigan woman was charged $1,059.06 for the privilege of sitting in an emergency room waiting area. She went home after waiting about an hour, having never seen a medical professional other than the woman who put a plastic band around her wrist. A mother rinsed her daughter’s eyes in an emergency room sink because the eye wash station was dirty. That cost $1,400. These situations are sometimes resolved in ways short of a lawsuit.

However, several years ago Swedish Health Services in Washington State settled a class action lawsuit brought by up to 50,000 uninsured patients who claimed that charges to uninsured patients were greater than those charged to other patients for the same treatment and were not authorized by its Condition of Admission forms.

If you were a patient and were billed an excessive amount for emergency room treatment, you too may have been a victim of emergency room overcharges and hidden fees.
 

UNINSURED EMERGENCY ROOM COST

An emergency room bill for patients is often much greater than the emergency room cost or ER bill that is submitted to an insurance company for the same ER treatment. If you have an emergency room medical bill dispute—regardless of whether you paid all, a portion, or none of the bill—attorneys are currently investigating excessive emergency room fees and ER overcharges that both insured and uninsured patients have been billed for.

Insured patients with big deductibles face rising insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses for ER visits. In recent years, emergency room costs have risen exponentially as hospitals attempt to fund their operations by overcharging those who cannot pay, through their insurance plan, or otherwise.

Uninsured patients may be paying more for their ER expenses than insurance companies are charged for the same procedure. Some uninsured patients are forced into collections to pay for bills that are reportedly inflated.

Inappropriate ER Visit Both insured and uninsured patients may discover that they cannot be reimbursed for services rendered if their ailments turn out to be less serious than initially feared. For instance, Anthem, one of the country’s largest health insurance plans, denies coverage for emergency room visits that it deems “inappropriate” because they aren’t, in the insurer’s view, true emergencies. Such denials are made after patients visit the ER, sometimes based on the diagnosis after seeing a doctor, not on the symptoms that sent them to ER in the first place.

And some states have mirrored Anthem’s policy. For instance, Kentucky charges Medicaid enrollees $20 for their first “inappropriate” emergency room visit, $50 for their second, and $75 for their third.
 

ER Overcharging Practices


As ER billing practices become increasingly complicated, patients rarely know in advance what they’ll have to pay. Since 2009 emergency room charges have jumped by as much as 85 percent, according to VOX.com.

Basically, there are two components to emergency room costs: the physician and the facility. Emergency room “facility fees” can start at $400. A doctor's fee will add anywhere from $200 to $1,000 to that total. X-Ray and lab fees add another $400 to that, and can bring a quick visit for a minor problem to $1,800.

Excessive Facilities Fees Facility fees cover the basic cost of keeping the lights on and the doors open whether the ER is busy or not, but the fees are calculated according to a complicated formula that also factors in the level of care provided. Same lights, same doors, but the facilities fee charged for treating a heart attack may be more than that for stitching up a knee. ER facility fees are coded on a scale of 1 to 5 to reflect the complexity of care delivered to the patient.

Facilities fees can add millions of dollars to a hospital’s coffers in the course of a year depending on how a treatment is coded. A Vox.com study (December 2017) reported that emergency rooms across the country increasingly used higher intensity codes.

Upcoding: Upcoding may be a major price-driver in the “facilities fee” portion of emergency room bills. Ninety percent of bills have coding errors, which can mean you have been overbilled or didn’t deserve bill in the first place. Upcoding is often exposed through Emergency Room Overcharging lawsuits. The Center for Public Integrity claims such practices have cost the Medicare program more than $11 billion in fraudulent fees. Doctors in emergency rooms determine which code to enter into insurance forms for the care they provide, and the more complex the care, the bigger the bill. As a result, what doctors get paid increasingly reflects more on their “coding” skills than clinical ability.

Upcoding is relatively easy to contest. Investigate that bill and get some legal help.

Room Overcharge: Room Overcharge: A physician admits a patient from ER to a regular room in hospital overnight, for example, but the patient is taken to a private room instead of a semi-private room. A patient should not be billed at a private room rate when a semi-private room is not available or not requested by the patient or physician.

Out-of-Network When a doctor in the ER accepts your health insurance plan, they’re in network. When you go to an emergency room that doesn’t take your plan, they’re out of network – and you can wind up with exorbitant overcharges.

A 2016 study by two researchers from the Yale School of Public Health and the Yale School of Management that looked at more than 2 million emergency department visits found that more than 1 in 5 patients who went to ERs within their health-insurance networks ended up being treated by an "out-of-network" doctor. Patients were exposed to additional charges not covered by their insurance plan, and the average out-of-network bill those patients faced, unless their insurance plan ultimately agreed to cover it, was more than $622, reported CNBC.

Depending on your insurance policy, you may be required to pay the difference between what the insurer reimburses and what the provider charges in out-of-network situations. And charges are often arbitrary: what might cost one patient $200 could cost another $2,000 or more.

ER bills for out-of-network care are 4.4 times higher than what Medicare allows for the same services. According to a nationwide study by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine, this costs patients more than $3 billion a year. ER physician charges totaled about $4 billion versus $898 million in Medicare allowable amounts. Overall, the study found that ERs are charging from 1.0–12.6 times ($100–$12,600) more than Medicare pays for services.

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, ER doctors can contract independently with insurance companies and the hospitals where they work may not contract with the same insurers. This scenario can result in a large physician bill that the insurer doesn't cover or only partially covers, leaving the patient to pay the balance.

Balanced Billing Say an ER doctor charges $250 for a service. Your insurance plan’s approved amount is $190. So you “save” $60. On your claims and explanation of benefits statements, these savings are listed as a discount. Doctors or hospitals not in your health insurer’s network don’t accept that approved amount. You’ll be responsible for paying the difference between the provider’s full charge and your plan’s approved amount.

Hospital ERs claim they need balanced billing to offset the cost of treating uninsured patients. However, some states have passed laws that bar out-of-network doctors from balance billing patients who receive care at an in-network facility.

Chargemaster Providers often give insurers big breaks on quoted rates. Uninsured patients and out-of-network patients initially get billed at so-called chargemaster rates -- a computerized database containing the full “retail” price for every service rendered in a hospital. But the price can be inflated up to 10 times the actual cost to the hospital, as reported by Steven Brill in TIME(2013), in “Bitter Pill.”

Overcharging Insured Patients A recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that among insured patients struggling to pay medical bills, charges from out-of-network providers were a contributing factor one-third of the time. And 7 in 10 individuals with unaffordable out-of-network medical bills found that the provider wasn't in their plan's network when they received care.

Overcharging Uninsured Patients Uninsured patients and those who don't qualify for Medicare, Medicaid or other state-provided coverage can see emergency costs anywhere from 2-4 times the rate of insured patients for the same ER treatment, which can translate to thousands of dollars. This practice is not only grossly unfair, it often impacts those least able to pay excessive ER charges. As a result of over-billing, uninsured patients end up leaving the ER with bills that are much higher than people with medical insurance who receive the same ER treatment.

Hospitals nationwide charge grossly inflated "retail prices" to their uninsured patients, whereas insured patients typically are charged rates 50-75 percent less. Uninsured patients are billed for ER care at double or triple the rates charged to the insurer of the patients sitting right next to them in the ER, for the same treatment.

For instance, an uninsured patient may be billed $15,000 for a single overnight stay, which includes diagnostics—scans, x-rays, etc.—any treatments, and drugs. But an insurance carrier will typically be charged $3,000-$5,000 for exactly the same stay and treatment. The same is true with minor injuries, such as a dog bite. In such a case, an uninsured patient might be charged $800 for a few shots and stitches, whereas the insured patient's carrier is charged $250.

While attorneys advise all ER patients to check their hospital admission agreement and inquire as to potential charges before signing on the dotted line, it is especially important for uninsured patients to know what their ER charges may be upfront. Unfortunately, in a true emergency, careful review of the admission agreement may not be feasible. As such, an uninsured ER patient may simply wind up at the mercy of high ER costs and only realize that his bill is excessive when it's too late.

Be Pro-Active Whenever possible, before you need emergency treatment, research which facility your insurance plan covers. Ask for financial counseling while you are at the emergency room. In addition, hospitals are increasingly posting their financial-assistance policies in the ER. Many hospitals have this service available, and it can be the key to learning your rights. Medicaid-eligible patients are able to apply for coverage up to 10 days retroactively. An advocate for consumers who are stuck with outrageous ER cost always advises clients to demand an itemized bill, rather than a summarized document. billadvocates.com reportedly saw $11 charged for a single tissue, and $50 charged for a pair of latex gloves.
 

EMERGENCY ROOM OVERCHARGES LAWSUIT

If you believe you have been overcharged, you should speak with an attorney who specializes in these cases. Some pending lawsuits are awaiting class certification.

Uninsured patients who received treatment at a hospital ER and did not receive a special discount on their billing, may be eligible to file a lawsuit against the hospital, regardless of whether they paid all, part or none of their hospital bill.
 

Emergency Room Overcharging Legal Help

If you or a loved one has suffered similar losses, please click the link below and your complaint will be sent to a Consumer Fraud lawyer who may evaluate your claim at no cost or obligation.
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EMERGENCY ROOM CHARGES LEGAL ARTICLES AND INTERVIEWS

Emergency Departments Still Overcharging Patients, Lawsuit Filed
Emergency Departments Still Overcharging Patients, Lawsuit Filed
August 18, 2022
There was a flurry of reports and studies about five years ago that found routine price gouging in emergency rooms nationwide, and it was worse for the most vulnerable populations – poor and minority patients. It appears that, no matter how advanced medical technology gets, many emergency room patients are left in the dark, and left with an unexpectedly huge ER overcharges bill. READ MORE

Former Head of Third-Party Billing Company on trial for Health Care Fraud
Former Head of Third-Party Billing Company on trial for Health Care Fraud
July 21, 2022
A number of elements go into the calculation of emergency room fees. Apart from the cost of providing care, hospitals must factor in reasonable expectations that some bills will go unpaid and that insurance companies will try to negotiate certain charges down – sometimes because of suspicions of healthcare fraud. The net effect, however, is that patients pay more. READ MORE

Increased Emergency Room Charges Loom for Patients at Critical Access Hospitals
Increased Emergency Room Charges Loom for Patients at Critical Access Hospitals
July 5, 2022
On April 8, the DC Circuit Court, which has jurisdiction over Medicare cases, held that Medicare need not reimburse St. Helena Clear Lake Hospital for the cost of maintaining nonemergency room specialists on call. Without Medicare reimbursement, the cost of maintaining these doctors on call will ultimately be passed along to patients through higher emergency room charges. READ MORE

READER COMMENTS

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Was getting a back X-ray and was told to lay on the hard table. Sat on the side, lifted my left leg and stretched it out, raised my right leg and as I raised it and stretched it out, it hit a projectile approx. 2-3” X 1-1/2”. It tore through my sweat pants and dug a hole almost to the bone on the front of my leg. I have a bleeding disorder and immediately started calling for help. With 5 people hustling about, they finally got the bleeding stopped. We then went to the rail-like stand up and finished the X-ray. I went to the ER, which was in the same building. The nurse came out and opened up the wound for all the germs to see and said, “this could cost you”. I was then taken to a room, where I laid in bed for 3+ hours waiting for help. The wound was open uncovered all that time. Finally got 10 stitches in my leg, with much animosity from the nurse. Asked for topical anesthesia before the stitches. Was told they didn’t have any. How about the spray that every dr. has on hand? No! Was given a number of shots into the tender area around the wound. Was told someone would call me the next day to check on me. This whole ordeal lasted some 4 hours.

No one called the next day. Shortly after, I got a bill for $3,800 even though I have insurance. Filed a grievance and they refused to pay, even tho it was in their facility. Have had to get a lawyer because I am now into my 4th month of wound care, all at the same hospital. I paid for all the supplies needed to take care of the wound for 3 months. The infection caused by carelessness is still very viable. Guess who reacted to this comparatively simple problem in this way? Renowned CLEVELAND CLINIC.

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Not only should the er billing be checked but the doctor bills should be checked too. Everytime I've gone I've mainly been seen by an assistant. The last time I went was because of my lower back which has been screwed up since I was 19. So the assistant came in I told her about my back and that it was hurting a lot more then normal. She told me that they can't do anything for my back then she proceeded to touch my lower back then tells me she can't do anything for it and didn't even offer something to help with the pain. But when I got the bill I was shocked. She charged me $960 to touch my back through my shirt and tell me she can't help. I did pay it cause I'm trying to keep things off my credit. But that was the most expensive touch I have ever had.

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Barry Kramer very nice,deligent and hard working lawyer is the one to speak to and use if he can help you out!!
He will work, fight hard and long for you also

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If you have Medicare and go to a hospital ER, BEWARE! If you are considered an outpatient even though you spend more than 24 hours there in a private room they will charge you obscenely inflated prices for prescription drugs. Prices inflated as much as 110,000% and higher. If these drugs are administered orally Medicare will not pay for them as they are onsidered "self administered" drugs. Even if they are life saving drugs, it doesn't matter. If they are given to you orally Medicare will not pay and they allow the hospital to charge you whatever price they want. This is the biggest scam I've ever witnessed and Medicare allows it to happen. Nobody at the hospital will tell you your outpatient status even though you are there for days. I don't know how hospitals are allowed to engage in this price gouging and Medicare condones it. Hospitals and Medicare are not about what is best for the patient, they are totally economically driven. Shitty healthcare in the USA!

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My wife was admitted to the ICU for an accidental gunshot wound to her leg which required several surgeries and 3 1/2 weeks stay. We did not have insurance until I started a new job 3 days before she was discharged. We received multiple bills adding up to $60,000, and beyond my ability to pay. Then 1 1/2 months later we received a new bill from the hospital for $440,000 that is separate from the other bills. We submitted the financial assistance application, but even if they discount the bill, it would take a lifetime to pay it. The bill was 19 pages but did not show full itemization or dates for any of the charges, so we are requesting full itemization. They would not discuss billing while a patient, and they hold you hostage until they can charge you a fortune. I'm not paying one cent as long as I feel they are extortionist racketeering con-artists. Non-profit organization my ass.

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I went to an urgent care center (in my Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Network) who referred me to the emergency room (also in Network) suggesting that my excruciating headache could be a brain tumor, aneurysm, etc. I went. They did blood work and a CAT scan. In total, the hospital staff spent no more than 30 minutes with me (that includes the scan and the blood work). Since that short visit to the emergency room (where I went home knowing no more than I knew when I arrived there) I have received bills that total more than $10,000. This is mind-boggling, devastating and keeps me up an night.

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I had a similar situation were I was chased 17k for 5 stitches and ambulance ride. My lawyers fought long and hard to have this certified as a class action. We were unfortunately shot down both times . Cause the Judge said I didn't pay enough toward the bills or bill.And also on the back of the ticket from the amusement park it said all cases against them must be heard in there County. So right there they had the Judge and politics playing on there side. I was uninsured at the time also . A person who was insured would have gotten a lesser bill as well.Also it was found 46k patients were done like this as well here at this hospital. But to no avail we could not come out with a class action suit against the hospital.I did manage to only pay 5 dollars for the bill in the end.See in Pa and many stated they can come after your spouse for unpaid hospital bills. And this is what started it all for me cause they came after my wife as well.But many hospitals are getting sued or having class actions filed against them based on same situation.So good luck every one. It's definitely worth the try if you feel you've been done wrong.

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We are a fairly healthy family that rarely go to doctors so we opted for a "savings account" type insurance this year and last meaning my husbands company give us around 1400$ a year for medical that we can use toward any medical. There is a deductible of I think it's 2800$ but since we have not been to the doctor more than twice in 5 years we opted for this. My son happened to get the stomach flu pretty bad and was severely dehydrated. knowing I could not go to the doctors office because he definitely needed IV fluids I took him to the local ER. They gave hi 1 bag of fluids, an anti diarrhea med, an anti nausea med and sent him home. He was there for 3 hrs and literally saw the actual doctor for 5 minute! Our bill for the ER alone was 2300$ and then got another separate bill specifically for the doctor that was 2100$ this is super ridiculous and they should not be able to do this to people!

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Went to the ER with chest pain. Turned out to be nothing. They ordered every test that came to their mind without my consent. The bill for the ER alone was $25,000. Other bills for doctors, labs, and radiology came separate for an additional $5000. Texas Memorial Hermann Hospital... never again.

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I went to the ER, for pain on the lower left chest area. They did an ekg and a portable chest xray. my bill was over $20,000. I disputed the 2 ekgs on the bill and a ct scan with contrast. they removed the extra ekg, but they refuse to remove the ct scan which is over $7,000. I asked for a copy of the ct scan and they gave me one, but how can I prove it is not mine, because i never left the room. so they couldn't have given me a ct scan with contrast as they state on the bill. besides this the doctor told me i was constipated, and sent me home. She never notice the rash on my left lower chest area. it took my pharmacist to tell me that I had shingles. over charged and misdiagnosed.

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I recently went to an er in dallas i was having fever and migranes. After vitals They did a simple blood test. Then a quick urine test that was in cup analysis. They also did a ct scan. I got 3 seperate bills. The ct totaled $423.00 not too bad. The physician chatge was just over 2k. And the er bill was $17002.44... I am waiting for an itemized bill i requested. How in the world does a blood and urine test cost 17k...im stumped they ended up saying it was a sinus infection and sent me home with 2 paper scripts. Please help. Thank you C.

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I strained myself after moving a steel bench. I arrived to the emergency room of Bayfront hospital in Saint Petersburg, Florida at 5:30am and got discharge at 10:00am. I received a prescription of muscle relaxer (which I was looking for. I was also prescribed and pain killer.

I received a bill over $12,504.22. If was was told that my bill would have exceeded $700.00, I would have left and waited for a walk-in clinic to open.

While I don't agree with the high cost of the physician and radiology, I was there and therefore making payments on them. However, For the ER, that was the largest bill. I asked for the detail. I called and no one can answer those questions. I was also making payments to them in good faith while trying to resolve this in some way. They were taking the monthly payment and sent the bill to collection and now a threat of lawsuit.

For a strain checkup and prescription this is unjust to have such a charge. I need your help. I truly hope that an attorney can sue the hospital to prevent them from hurting other people.

I hope that I do not have to fight this by myself against an experience attorney. However, I rather take my chances in hope that will caution them from doing this.

Any help that I can get from you will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Gerald Morin

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I fainted. I have always fainted more than average - once or twice a year and it hasn't been a big problem. Wife called the ambulance. I woke while in the ambulance and demanded release. I kept repeatedly saying, "I refuse medical attention." Denied. They held me down and strapped me to the gurney. Similar once I got to the ER as they hauled me into the ER strapped down to a gurney with me the entire time demanding release. Mysteriously fell asleep and woke up hours later with IV's and a catheter in me. Tiny bump on my head healed in 72 hours - no evidence it was even treated (no band aid, beta-dine, etc). Black and blue up and down my arms from the IV's lasted over two weeks. Refused to sign anything. ER bill 11,848 - no itemization. Dr bill over 1K, Radiology 500.00, haven't gotten the ambulance bill yet. What gives?

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Took my husband to the ER because his eyeball was swelling and I freaked out. It was 10:30 at night and there was not another single person in the building (one of those stand-alone ER places, kind of like Urgent Care). We were there for less than an hour. The doctor gave him some eye drops for an allergic reaction and we left. Got our first bill for the doc: $300 after insurance. Not too bad. Got a second bill... $4000 for emergency services, $5 for the eye drops, and $175 exam room fee. Insurance covered all but $1900. I am completely blown away and there isn't anything we can do about it...

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Every time I have been to my hospital for chest pains all they have done is offer me hard meds which I don't accept or take. I may get an xray and an EKG depending on the Dr. I leave the hospital 2hrs later feeling the same way I did when I arrived, and then receive bills in excess of $2,000 to $3,000 I have even been charged a $900 hospital check in fee just to sit in a lobby for hours.

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Wife went to urgent care for trouble breathing, They ran a bunch of tests,There is a hospital next door .They wheeled her over there for a CT scan. We got billed for that scan as we where in the ER..$4600 for a test that every image center charges $550 for. My insurance as nice as they are only let them charge me $2600. My great insurance I pay $1300 a month for thanks for paying NOTHING.

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Recently made a trip to the ER due to excessive abdominal pain from an old injury. I wasn't there looking to get a fix on pain meds, I refused the narcotics when they tried pushing them into my IV. I talked with the doc for about 10 minutes tops, CT scan, and some blood work done. I spent roughly 4 hours in the room....as I could hear the nurses and doctor laughing and cutting up at the desk. A week later I received two separate bills, one for the doctor and one for the CT scan, collectively $700. Not so bad....3 days later I received another bill but this was just from the hospital $6,370.....the f@%k?

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We went to North Cypress Medical Center's ER because my son started to complain about a sharp sudden stomach pain on the lower right side. Our worry was appendicitis. After some testing it was determined he was constipated. I got a bill today for $14,000.....

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I went to the emergency room after I passed out. A month later got a bill for around $1,200 and after some time i got bill showing amount of $3,500 somthing and they said all your charges were not induced in your fist bill you got this is your final bill. i was admitted in hospital just for 4 hours so i can't figure it out ,I am a student and I cannot afford this.

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I've been made to pay unnecessary cost resulting from my ER visit.

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I had very bad pains in the area of my gullbladder for 5 nights in a row and could not sleep. I was very busy with work and could not get to my doctor during the day so I stopped at the ER close to my house north suburban of Denver. Before I went in I asked how much it would cost to get it looked at and they said they were not allowed to tell me that. I don't know of any business that can get away with charging whatever they want after they preform the service, so I left. The next day it was so bad and I got to my doctors office too late so I went back to the ER and tried again. They told me the same thing and were very apologetic acknowledging the absurdity of not being allowed to know even an estimate of what it would cost to look for gullblader problems. I was in so much pain a signed in thinking that the most it would cost would be about $1500. They gave me a sonnagram taking about 15minutes, I watched tv in the room for 1 1/2 hrs waiting for the results. I was told I have sludge in my gullbladder and I should get it removed. I wasn't about to do that. It turns out 2 days later I found shingles on the area of my stomach, I don't think it was my gullbladder at all. Also,they never told me that they don't take my insurance. Bottom line I received a bill for $6700. This is absolute robbery its just like stealing to me. $3400 for er, $3300. diagnostic. I was there for 2hrs received 1 test, paid the girl that did it $79 so really does 1 sonnagram cost $6600. Is the Er made of golden walls and floors? This is insane. people are going to die rather than go to the ER as more and more folks find this out

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Hospitals charge extreme amount of money and health insurance company avoid paying everything. So medical in USA is deteriorating so fast. If something happen to me and the ambulance takes to ER I will not sign anything and I will not want them to treat me. This is absurd.

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I struggled really bad for a while because I had to pay so much to Swedish for emergency room charges. Over $10,000 worth. I had no job at the time and they threatened collections if I didn't pay. Not once did they offer a charity program. I was looking through Swedish policy and came across a class action lawsuit on Swedish in 2013. I never received any info on this lawsuit and I am now wondering if I can sue/retrieve the thousands paid out to them at the time. Any information regarding this would be appreciated. Thank you.

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Tripped and fell in my driveway and broke left cheekbone and other bones on left side. Driven by my sister to emergency room. We were told they don't treat trauma cases and I was sent to another hospital 50 miles away by ambulance, but not before they sent me to to radiology for x-ray and CT scans. I was there about two hours. My bill for being uninsured was over 15K. Almost 10K of which was radiology. I have another approximately 4K in separate charges for ER doctor; $1,500, $880 to read x-rays, $740 for two-hour ambulance ride. There are a couple others amounting to about another $1,000. I was in shock but told them I was uninsured and do not remember signing any papers in the condition I was in.

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ER room visit for stomach pains resulted in $12,000 in bills. Insurance denied the claim.

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I went to the hospital with stomach pains. They gave me an IV of fluids, which I didn't need. They did blood and urine tests and sent me home. The bill is over $4,000, which is ridiculous. The young doctor who said she knew nothing about what might be happening said it wasn't urgent and I should go see my primary care doctor on Monday. They did absolutely nothing to help me yet charged me outrageous fees.

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I was only there from 2 p.m. till around 6 p.m. I passed out and fell in the casino and they called the ambulance. My bill is $13,547 and they only did a head scan, a knee scan, checked my heart, and that's it. No medicine or nothing. I did not stay overnight. I had no medical insurance. Please help. Thank you.

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This hospital did excessive testing when all I needed was six stitches. I repeatedly told her that I just needed my lip sewn up. The result was a $40,000 bill I can't pay. That seems quite a lot for six stitches. As a result I could not refinance my home so that I might lower the payment. My family and I are struggling money-wise like everyone else.

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I came in with blisters on my hand, mouth and feet. All they did was a swab of my mouth and blood work. I was not given any medicine (just a prescription for mouthwash) and told I had hand-foot-and-mouth disease. I am very out done at the charges. I was charged for 2-3 hours. And on my bill they never described what I was charged $15,020.00 for. Nothing stating they charged me $3,000 for blood work just a flat bill balance owing $15,020.00. That's a very ridiculous price for what I was seen for.

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I was charged all together $1,500.00 for an ER visit when I had Kaiser insurance and had been real close to my deductible. They kept asking me if I was working and if I had insurance. I said yes 10 times. I have worked at Apria Healthcare for 16 years. Now I have a bad mark on my credit and now harassing calls on my cell phone.

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I went to the hospital for a lower back strain and all they did was touch my feet and back. There was no machine to scan anything and then I got a prescription. Now I’m getting mail from the doctor for around $300 and another one from the hospital for $900; almost $1,000 for 10 minutes and maybe not even that.

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Years ago I was overcharged in a Er bill for the amount of $17,000 for 5 stitches.This is going on all over the medical field.It is taking a toll on peoples credit reports, lives and so much more.Numerous people are being sued for these outrageous bills by a 5 to 8 times overpriced charge master rate.Please examine your bills for these overcharges, especially if you all not insured or underinsured.Don't let these hospitals get away with it.They offer very low reduced to the insured while they overcharge some to make up the differences for their losses with not insured.This is done hoping that either the person pays the bill, files bankruptcy, gives up property etc and they hope they do not get caught and it slides by.For instance if your not insured and you bill is say $1,000 for er bill and you pay out of pocket, but the insured persons bill is a $150.00 etc.Do fall victim to this.It is what I call a scam that is trying to be made legal.Please pass it on to a professional attorney if you think you have been a victim of this recently or in the pass.Remember each state has a stature of limitation to how long you have to file a cross suit against the violating party.Stand for your rights as a human being.Also this not only happens here but in many other situations as cable, phone etc.Supreme court has allowed a lot of these companies to legally do this.Read your contracts carefully before signing, you are giving up class action rights and other rights when signing all kinds of agreements.

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My husband had a sore on his arm. It was the weekend so he chose the emergency room. They did no blood test. Just examined the sore then prescribed oral anitbiotics and topical cream. They charged our insurance $1,599.53!! We now have a bill that we are responsible for - $749.00.

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The hospital billed me for $12,745.44. I owe $9,559.08 for a kidney stone. I think that is a bit much.

Posted by

on
I was in an accident in which I cut the back of my head, and went to the er for stitches. Because of the speed involved, they claimed I could have head trauma. I repeatedly stated I had not hit my head, had not lost consciousness and had no concussion after a half hour. I received seven staples and was released. There was no care whatsoever for head trauma beyond staples. Now they are billing me $7,000 for head trauma.

Posted by

on
One Emergency room visit with an MRI ordered by my primary care physician cost $24,485.00. My insurance paid 80% and they want to collect over 3,600 for a co-pay. I am trying to research this ridiculous fee and I asked for itemized. I need help with this bill and how to fight this. Can a hospital charge whatever they want? Is there not average rates of these fees? I have never seen anything like this in my life. What are my rights as a patient?

Posted by

on
Grossly overcharged on ER medical bills. One of our three bills was around $1200, all that was done was a blood and urine test. The staff was unfriendly, rude, unprofessional, and did not respect my wife's boundaries regarding past traumatic issues. We got a cat scan on the third visit, was told that the cost would be $700 but our bill states over $2000. I know that they overcharge, and I don't find it fair. Not only are they overcharging, but they are providing inadequate service. We've been there a total of 3 times and they haven't done anything to diagnose or improve my wife's condition.

Posted by

on
A three hour emergency room visit that resulted in approx. $10,000 in bills. Asked for an itemized deduction, showed CT scan for $5800 was the biggest piece, single dose medicine for $560, $250, and $142, $112, and $28, along with the $1500 emergency room fee. Not sure what the going rates are for CT scans, but the pharmacy charges are outrageous. I get the same pills by prescription for $5. These were all facility charges, the doctor's bill was separate, $850, and labs, $170.

Posted by

on
I was charged nearly $10,000 by the hospital for a 4 hour trip to the ER during which I received only a brief exam and was given a CT Scan which confirmed I had a fractured orbital floor. After the "in-network" discount and Blue Shield's portion of the payment, I was left with a $4500 bill. The hospital conducted an "internal audit" of my bill after a lot of complaining. The "audit" resulted in a one paragraph response letter 8 months later stating simply that the charges are valid and there is nothing they can do. I have looked at medical blue book estimates for the services I received which appear to typically only cost a few hundred dollars.

Posted by

on
My insurance provider covered 90% of the surgeon's charge of $850, but can only cover 50% of the hospital Auburn Regional Medical Center WA charge of $1675 for Emergency room usage. I have to pay out of pocket $800 to remove a wasp sting!

Posted by

on
My insurance covered some of it but the hospital is harrassing me for the balance. I've asked for a detailed break down of the charges but have yet to receive it.

Posted by

on
I went to the emergency room after I passed out and urinated while passed out. I threw up on the way there. I got great care, but it was a simple IV of saline solution. A week later got a bill for $1,141. I make 16,000 a year and cannot afford this.

Posted by

on
I had to go to ER For an abcessed tooth. I was prescribed an anti biotic and sent home. I was charged $1000.00 for this visit even though my insurance is $50.00 copay for ER visits. For six ER visits in the last year we were charged over $1000.00 for each even though insurance is $50.00 copay for ER visits.

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