Ann
2010-01-30 03:24:32 UTC
"American hospitals are fleecing patients out of billions of dollars
annually, and experts say that while some of the overcharges are
honest errors, many are deliberate.
That's because hospital bills are next to impossible for consumers to
understand, which means hospitals can hide improper charges behind
mysterious medical terminology and baffling codes. "
http://www.thirdage.com/general-money/how-to-avoid-outrageous-hospital-overcharges
"Suppose you got a bill for $5,000 for service that should have cost
$2,000? Stacy Johnson takes a look at what happens with many medical
bills.
When you're sick and need help, avoiding mistakes has to be near the
top of the priority list for the hospital.
But when it comes to giving you an accurate bill, hospitals are
apparently a bit more lax."
http://www.kktv.com/unclassified/2035602.html
"What percent of those mistakes favor the hospital? According to this
medical billing advocate, virtually all of them. But the biggest
problem? Just flat-out overcharging. Many hospitals will charge you
three or four times their cost. They make a big profit off of you. You
pay in order to protect your credit rating. Learn how you can fight
back and protect your credit."
http://www.hospitalvictims.com/
TAMPA, FL -- Being rushed to the hospital, or going to the hospital
for any type of medical procedure can become costly quick.
Sheralee Faith doesn't have medical insurance. She went to a central
Florida hospital emergency room after she bumped heads with her
Labrador and got a bloody nose.
"He said ok go home and take a Tylenol and you'll be fine," Faith
says. The bill for that trip to the ER amounted to $1,300.
"Patients are just shocked by the cost of their care," says medical
bill negotiator Dr. Jasper Becker.
Faith says she really didn't understand some of the charges on her
bill, so she called Becker, with Medical Bill Advocates of America.
"I can often convince the billing dept that they have made an error
in the billing," Becker says. It’s his job to negotiate down your bill
by looking for errors like double charging, over charging, or charging
patients for treatments hey never received.
"It was a level four ER visit which later I found out was a facial
contusion, a very serious condition. Later I also found out I was
charged for an IV which I did not receive and an X-ray which I did not
receive," Faith says.
In the end, Becker worked down Faith’s bill to just $100 dollars. He
says he's saved patients thousands of dollars, working one bill down
from $40,000 to $4,000.
"I don't think a person should pay any medical bills until they have
looked them over carefully and if they don't know what something means
go down and find out what something means,” Becker says.
And, that’s the doctor’s golden rule, never pay for a bill that you
don’t understand.
http://www.abcactionnews.com/mostpopular/story/Is-your-hospital-overcharging-you/kxWPb6Hs3EyQkwzSEDso9A.cspx
annually, and experts say that while some of the overcharges are
honest errors, many are deliberate.
That's because hospital bills are next to impossible for consumers to
understand, which means hospitals can hide improper charges behind
mysterious medical terminology and baffling codes. "
http://www.thirdage.com/general-money/how-to-avoid-outrageous-hospital-overcharges
"Suppose you got a bill for $5,000 for service that should have cost
$2,000? Stacy Johnson takes a look at what happens with many medical
bills.
When you're sick and need help, avoiding mistakes has to be near the
top of the priority list for the hospital.
But when it comes to giving you an accurate bill, hospitals are
apparently a bit more lax."
http://www.kktv.com/unclassified/2035602.html
"What percent of those mistakes favor the hospital? According to this
medical billing advocate, virtually all of them. But the biggest
problem? Just flat-out overcharging. Many hospitals will charge you
three or four times their cost. They make a big profit off of you. You
pay in order to protect your credit rating. Learn how you can fight
back and protect your credit."
http://www.hospitalvictims.com/
TAMPA, FL -- Being rushed to the hospital, or going to the hospital
for any type of medical procedure can become costly quick.
Sheralee Faith doesn't have medical insurance. She went to a central
Florida hospital emergency room after she bumped heads with her
Labrador and got a bloody nose.
"He said ok go home and take a Tylenol and you'll be fine," Faith
says. The bill for that trip to the ER amounted to $1,300.
"Patients are just shocked by the cost of their care," says medical
bill negotiator Dr. Jasper Becker.
Faith says she really didn't understand some of the charges on her
bill, so she called Becker, with Medical Bill Advocates of America.
"I can often convince the billing dept that they have made an error
in the billing," Becker says. It’s his job to negotiate down your bill
by looking for errors like double charging, over charging, or charging
patients for treatments hey never received.
"It was a level four ER visit which later I found out was a facial
contusion, a very serious condition. Later I also found out I was
charged for an IV which I did not receive and an X-ray which I did not
receive," Faith says.
In the end, Becker worked down Faith’s bill to just $100 dollars. He
says he's saved patients thousands of dollars, working one bill down
from $40,000 to $4,000.
"I don't think a person should pay any medical bills until they have
looked them over carefully and if they don't know what something means
go down and find out what something means,” Becker says.
And, that’s the doctor’s golden rule, never pay for a bill that you
don’t understand.
http://www.abcactionnews.com/mostpopular/story/Is-your-hospital-overcharging-you/kxWPb6Hs3EyQkwzSEDso9A.cspx