toddcarruth.com

Okay, so back in June I had to go to the emergency room because of kidney stones.  You can read more here. (You should read it. It’s kind of funny. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.)

Okay, you back? Good. Now, the short story is that I was stuck in that wacky limbo between 2 jobs where I didn’t have any insurance.  I’m sure it’s a chance that many of us have taken. And believe me, when I was kneeling on that cold bathroom tile floor twisting my body in a desperate attempt to find a position that would lessen the pain at 3 in the morning, I was feverishly trying to hold out until 8am so I could go to a CareNow instead of an expensive emergency room visit to HEB Ho$pital.  But pain has a way of slapping you in the face and changing your mind quickly. 

Anyway, the total bill was $4227.85.   I talked with my former HR director and decided that I would come out ahead if I paid for COBRA. (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act-Now you know why they just say COBRA. )   For me, COBRA cost $569 for the month of June. Poof . And my deductable costs $500. Poof. And the emergency room visit is $100. Poof.  Sorry, that poof is my money disappearing like a magician’s dove in a flash of smoke. But at least I was covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield for the month of June.

Now, there were quite a few other folks who had their hand out when this whole ordeal went down. You would think that the emergency room bill would cover everything. Kind of a one-stop billing dept.

Yeah, not so much.

I had a few more expenses that popped up and I will be happy to share with you a little before and after.

• Radiology-If you live in DFW and you’ve had an x-ray, chances are you’ve received a green bill from “Consultants in Radiology, P.A.” I bet they have a softball team with green uniforms.
  • Bill before insurance: $360.  Bill after insurance: $21 - Awesome, that’s the way insurance should work!
• Doctor’s Bill - Huh? You mean the doc’s charge is ON TOP of the ho$pital charge? Really?  That’s like going to a restaurant and getting a bill for the food AND the waiter. “Hey Doc, if you give me another shot, I’ll tip you 25%.”
  • Bill before insurance: $260  Bill after insurance: $170 - Looks like my emergency room doctor was out of my network (Fox?) and so my insurance didn’t quite pay the 80%.   I talked to the company out of Oklahoma that sent me this invoice and I asked them if they were aware that they were “balance billing” me (I did some research) and that this was an emergency room visit and could they possibly give me an adjustment? (another buzz word I found thru research) She came back on the line and said “How about $38.07″ I said yes so fast, she barely had a chance to say the “ven” in “seven.”
• Urinalysis from ProPath - Here’s a fun one. It was $7.50. I paid it out of my pocket cause the number was just so adorable.
• Ho$pital Bill - Yeah, I keep putting the $ sign when I mention HEB just because this one is the biggie.
  • Bill before insurance: $4227.85 Bill after insurance: $962 - I know, quite a difference, huh? And I am thankful that Blue Cross Blue Shield actually came through without any hesitation. I have read some horror stories about people getting denied benefits and medical bills that make my money issues look like spare change.

Bottom line is this: I am fortunate that I am in a position where I can take care of this.  But these prices are out of whack and I hope somebody smarter than me figures out a way to get the system under control.

And if I get kidney stones again, I have a whole bottle of pain medication and vodka to last me to 8am when the CareNow opens.