I was under the impression money was due at the time of service, and you could make payment plan deals with hospitals or doctor's offices if you're uninsured.

A friend of mine says all you need is "proof of effort" in paying in order to be free of legal reproach.

I am calling bs on that, but I can't find the rules on the internet to prove it one way or the other. Please help me, T-dub, by putting together the secret phrase that will return the results I am looking for, and submitting that to Google (or some other search engine) and then show me the results.

Thanks in advance

10/18/2009 9:33:47 PM

This is why you support UHC.

10/18/2009 9:34:16 PM

^ Are you calling me out as a supporter of UHC, or are you suggesting UHC as a good alternative to having to pay for healthcare out of pocket?

10/18/2009 9:36:38 PM

Quote :

"A friend of mine says all you need is "proof of effort" in paying in order to be free of legal reproach. "

I have a really hard time believing that otherwise why would people declare bankruptcy over medical bills?

10/18/2009 9:41:32 PM

how can you prove effort?

10/18/2009 9:42:14 PM

so are you actually trying to avoid paying bills or just curious?

10/18/2009 9:46:27 PM

Payment of medical bills is up to the entity you are getting the services from.

My medical supply company will work with me and set up payment plans to spread out any account balances I have, or they'll accept payment in full. This is with insurance. Other companies will demand that I pay them immediately or they'll take my left testicle as payment.

10/18/2009 9:52:43 PM

http://www.google.com/search?q=body+attachment+medical+bills

10/18/2009 9:54:03 PM

Payment of medical bills is up to the entity you are getting the services from.


You can talk a lot of places into payment plans, but I read recently about individual clinics that were doing barters (goods, office help, etc) for care.

10/18/2009 10:05:57 PM

Most doctor's offices and hospitals are extremely accommodating in terms of payment plans, prices, etc. When leaving the hospital for our recent child delivery they required some type of payment from us before leaving, a "good faith" payment if you will.

After leaving, a few weeks later we got the bill for the remainder of the full balance, and there was a number for the accounting office to organize payment. They were very sympathetic in pricing based upon one person being out of work, and examining our month to month expenses.

Now this is with Rex, not an individual doctor, so I can't speak to all of them... but most of these folks (no matter what the politicians of either party tell you) are just pretty decent human beings trying to make a living. Mind you, they seem to be doing a lot better job at making a living than a lot of us, but so far they've been very helpful and flexible.

(I will say, however, that my previous insurance and WakeMed gave us a ton of grief over an overnight emergency room visit a few years back. It later came out that the hospital was in the midst of cutting ties with said insurance company.)

So I can first hand say I've seen it go both ways, but it depends on the office. A smaller office that can't stomach a short term loss might be more inclined to push a deadbeat patient (no pun intended) off to a collections agency sooner than a larger more established organization.

Can't say much about the 'free from legal reproach' line...
I'm quite sure, however, that it most definitely can and will effect your credit score if you don't show a good faith effort.

[Edited on October 18, 2009 at 10:08 PM. Reason : .]

10/18/2009 10:07:02 PM

This is interesting about how uninsured patients get charged a crapload more for the same procedure as insured patients.

http://www.democracynow.org/2004/1/7/state_secret_why_are_uninsured_patients

10/18/2009 10:09:44 PM

If you are uninsured you can often talk directly to the office or hospital that you owe the money to. Tell then you are uninsured, most will work with you and usually charge you a lower rate bc you are paying cash. Sometimes in bigger practices/hospitals it all goes through a billing dept. So you will get billed what they would bill and insurance company, however insurance companies rarely pay this amount. Often you can get your amount reduced similar to what they are actually collecting maybe less.

Most smaller offices if you are making an effort and will pick up your phone and talk to us wont turn you over to collections, even if you are paying a very small amount. Its the ones that avoid the calls and never pay that get turned over pretty quick. That way we get something.


Im pretty sure they can turn you over to collections if they want, regardless of what amount you send. (other than full).

[Edited on October 18, 2009 at 10:14 PM. Reason : .]

10/18/2009 10:11:33 PM

with my experience at UNC and nash general, just ask to set up a payment plan. i have never paid interest or any other fees for doing it, and they both just asked how much i wanted to pay (any amount i wanted). the lady said "well how much would you like to pay each month?" didn't ask why or any other questions. it's nice

oh and i have insurance, so that may or may not be relevant


12,000!!!!!

[Edited on October 18, 2009 at 10:26 PM. Reason : ]

10/18/2009 10:14:27 PM

Quote :

"This is interesting about how uninsured patients get charged a crapload more for the same procedure as insured patients."

i went for awhile without insurance, when i mentioned that fact they always discounted the bill a ton. then when my employer was in the middle of changing insurance i needed major surgery, ct scans, and an mri. most of it i just self paid and was going to file later (easiest way to do it at the time). Every time I told them I was self-paying the cut the bill down tremendously. It would make sense though that someone like medicaid would get a better rate than a self payer, they have a lot more volume than any individual person.

10/18/2009 10:22:26 PM

Its been my experience that its up to the medical provider. As others have said, they generally will work with you and are surprisingly accommodating. This being said, the maximum that I've had personal experience with is ~$27k, most of which insurance covered.

I also had very good experience working with Rex.

[Edited on October 18, 2009 at 10:27 PM. Reason : .]

10/18/2009 10:26:03 PM

I hear" walmart gets a better price when it buys in bulk from suppliers.


The shame of it all.


http://www.democracynow.org/captain_obvious/

10/18/2009 10:27:35 PM

link fail

10/18/2009 10:37:08 PM

^^ That's kind of the problem with a system where some people can afford insurance and some can't isn't it?

10/18/2009 10:39:51 PM

it doesn't really make sense that someone with medicaid would get a better rate, as medicaid only pays a fraction to the dollar. you just have to eat those costs to do business with them.

10/18/2009 10:44:51 PM

I'm not facing any medical bills, I was just having a conversation with the guy about the state of healthcare in general and he shot that out, so I was looking for some documentation to use as proof that it's not true.

The stuff you guys are saying is along the lines of what I've heard in the past. I've never heard the "proof of effort" thing either.

10/18/2009 11:15:32 PM

Quote :

"That's kind of the problem with a system where some people can afford insurance and some can't isn't it? "

Does this not happen in other industries?

And most can afford health insurance who dont have it, they just choose to spend their money elsewhere and risk it. imo


THe link was a joke. 73

10/19/2009 9:32:08 AM

So, my son has had a couple hundred thousand in medical bills. Fortunately, our insurance has covered most of it, but we are still responsible for a share of it. We've hit our out of pocket maximum for 3 years now between prenatal care and transplant costs.

Your friend is correct to an extent. Medical facilities can turn your bill over to a collection agency that will try to collect a medical bill like any other bill, but most do not as long as you are making an effort to pay your bill. Hospitals and medical facilities will set up payment plans that will fit your financial situation and they tend to work with you, even if you are only paying them $10 a month. Most hospitals offer significant discounts if you pay the amount in full -- WakeMed offered me a 30% discount if we paid the entire amount instead of going to a payment plan. Many will also discount services to uninsured patients.

There are specific laws for bill collections that vary by state, but a medical bill is considered to be a contract and any payment plan is also considered to be a contract. I'm guessing that "proof of intent" may be a term set out in some contracts/payment plans.

[Edited on October 19, 2009 at 10:36 AM. Reason : .]

10/19/2009 10:26:57 AM

Quote :

"This is interesting about how uninsured patients get charged a crapload more for the same procedure as insured patients."

i took a trip to wake med's er and didn't have insurance at the time.

the total cost of the visit was around 5k.

i called, told them i was uninsured and was told that if i could pay now, it would be $600.

yeah, i jumped on that.

10/19/2009 12:09:05 PM

^ similarly my wife's aunt went in to labor while visiting from south africa, and delivered at wakemed last year. When they informed the hospital that they would be paying out of pocket, they billed them for only a fraction of the "normal" bill. I don't remember exact numbers, but it went from over $10k to just over a grand.

10/19/2009 1:12:59 PM

when i spoke to the account rep., they mentioned that there is a special bonus for people who can pay immediately. i was pleasantly surprised.

10/19/2009 3:43:25 PM

I'm pretty sure this "proof of effort" thing is up to the entity. I wouldnt view it as an industry standard.

10/19/2009 3:48:02 PM

I dont want to pay for health insurance, so could all you people with good jobs please pay for my health care...... kthx

i'll be in line for my government cheese

10/19/2009 3:52:02 PM

please guys i have a match tonight

10/19/2009 4:21:12 PM

wtf is up with "i have a match tonight"

i missed the memo. i like it, but i missed it. i just want to be in on it

10/19/2009 4:23:15 PM

Quote :

"^ similarly my wife's aunt went in to labor while visiting from south africa, and delivered at wakemed last year. When they informed the hospital that they would be paying out of pocket, they billed them for only a fraction of the "normal" bill. I don't remember exact numbers, but it went from over $10k to just over a grand."

same thing happened with my cousin a few months back.

10/19/2009 7:43:28 PM

i, too, am from africa

o wait

10/19/2009 7:47:47 PM

Quote :

"Does this not happen in other industries? "

Hopefully you don't view medical care the same as buying a car

10/20/2009 7:44:53 PM