Self pay: unexpected bills

[White Sale 339]

Hey everyone. I had the sleeve gastrectomy a little over a month ago. The surgeon's office quoted me a price - which I was led to believe included everything.

Last week, I received 2 bills in the mail (labs and anesthesiology) which come to an additional $3500! This was not expected at all and not in my budget.

I'm about to review my paperwork to see WTH is going on.

Anyone run into similar issues?

[Montana Gal 448]

Yes, my lab work and Anesthesiologist were seperate from the surgery bill itself.

[Ssze1109 163]

I got a bill for both too. I called and the anesthesia was a mistake bill so call them first as it probably(and should have been) covered. The labs however were not covered and I don't agree with that.

Actually I got 2 lab bills. One was for the lab specimen of the stomach and the other was from the person reading the lab results. Ridiculous isn't it?

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[White Sale 339]

Yes, my lab work and Anesthesiologist were seperate from the surgery bill itself.

Dang! I just wish I would've been expecting them, but I had no idea.

I got a bill for both too. I called and the anesthesia was a mistake bill so call them first as it probably(and should have been) covered. The labs however were not covered and I don't agree with that.

Actually I got 2 lab bills. One was for the lab specimen of the stomach and the other was from the person reading the lab results. Ridiculous isn't it?

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Good idea - I'm definitely going to have an in-person chat with them before I send the check. Three grand for less than an hour with a nurse anesthetist (not even a MD) seems a bit steep!

Woops! I didn't realize until after posting that I should've posted in the "self-pay" part of the forums

[WitchySar 244]

They should definitely have explained exactly what wasn't covered in the price they quoted you. I've never been self pay but all the paperwork I've ever seen (I have a medical background) indicate that the anesthesiologist and labs would be separate bills. If they led you to believe it would all be included I would fight it with my surgeon's office.

[Ssze1109 163]

When I had my EGD done I got 2 separate bills from the anesthesiologist AND a nurse anesthetist since they were both present during that test.

Now isn't that wrong?!

Two separate bills from 2 separate people in addition to the normal bills from the Dr, the hospital, the lab, and the person reading the lab!

This was all just for the EGD that I was out for a total of probably 5 minutes for.

I see why people go to Mexico for their surgery now. So much cheaper

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[Vinasu 621]

That sucks. So much for transparency in Healthcare.

Edited January 30, 2017 by Vinasu

[K1V990 29]

The American healthcare system is a joke.

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[FocusOnMeNow 599]

I was self pay as well. Anesthesiologist and pathologist unfortunately have to be paid. First thing you should do is call their office, let them know that you are in fact self pay and that this cost was unexpected. What would they quote a self-pay patient? It is highly likely that they will give you a serious discount (possibly 25-50%). What you negotiated with your surgeon was HIS FEE and the hospital facility fee (which does NOT pay the doctors). Good luck.

[haylee_d 117]

Yes, I just received a bill and about died.... $13,000. Yes. You read that right.

I payed $2000 OOP (PLUS all of my $35 co-pays every month, and pre-op lab fees) and was told that my insurance had been checked over by the dr's office, and that's all I had to pay, and insurance would cover the rest. No problem. They checked this at my first appointment, and then a week before surgery for approval.

The reason for the $13,000?? That was what insurance didn't cover. My doctor billed BCBS for $38,000 for my surgery. Seriously?????? If I would have known this, I probably wouldn't have had this done. I had a hard time just coming up with the $2000 deductible. So, now I'm stuck with a bill I can't pay. You think they would take a payment of $20 a month?

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