Slight problem paying hospital bill

Factual Questions
1

Don’t want to get too specific, but over last Xmas was visiting with folk in the US from Canada.

My 17-month-old son came down with acute gastroenteritis–a very scary thing when it’s your firstborn–and despite all the US-based relatives’ protestations of “He’ll live, don’t take him to ER,” we did anyway. Knowing how fast living things can crash added lots of impetus to my wife’s and my decision.

Upshot is, yes, he had acute gastroenteritis, and yes, he was severely dehydrated and needed IVs for several hours to get him back to “less than scary.”

But wouldn’t you know it, on this ONE TRIP, I had refused my travel agent’s offer of insurance. Yup, from the guy who always gets in the wrong supermarket line, I struck gold yet again. Hell, I figured, vacationing with the folks in advanced-healthcare paradise, how could I go wrong?

When we walked into the Children’s ER at 6:30 a.m. on New year’s Eve I explained to the attending that I was fron Canada and that my son was sick. I wasn’t sure how I could pay.

“Don’t worry,” he said, “we take everyone.”

All very well, but the hospital bill turned out to be $1750. I tried to get my Canadian medicare to pay, but they only came up with–get this–$50.

Bottom line, I’m broke at the moment–out of a job here in Canada, and the last thing I can afford is a CDN $2000-plus bill. There is no way I can pay. This particular hospital doesn’t have any kind of “what to do if you can’t afford the bill” on their website (like some I have seen) so I don’t know what to do.

Some will say, like my own US-based relatives, that “you should have thought of that before you took him to ER.”

Umm, yes, I suppose I should have. But in light of the current SARS deal, I’m kind of glad I did, now, in a vague way . . .

Any suggestions? They now have my local number and I expect the collection notices and threatening phone calls any day soon.

2

You should contact the hospital’s billing department, explain your situation, and ask if they will work out a payment plan with you. (The fact that they don’t advertise their hardship policies on their website doesn’t mean that they don’t have them.) Most businesses would rather work with you than turn a debt over to a collection agency. And you probably aren’t the first family that the hospital has seen in this kind of situation.

3

Contact the hospital’s billing department and ask them what to do. All hospitals offer installment plans if your insurance doesn’t cover it, and many have charities that you may be eligible for.

4

Wow . . . do you think they would really be interested in $20 a month? That’s about all I can afford at the moment.

5

From my own personal experience, and, of course, the standard YMMV disclaimer applies, yes, they would be interested in $20 a month. As long as you’ve got something going their way so they know you haven’t forgotten about them, they’ll stay off your back.

Contact the hospital’s billing department, and if the billing department doesn’t transfer you, contact their social services department. When I needed help with hospital bills, it was the social services department that told me what aid I qualified for and what I had to do to get it.

6

Communicate with the hospital, early and often.

US hospitals can be very quick to go to the “collection agency” card if they feel their bills are being ignored! Just include them in your decision-making process, and they’ll feel better.

It cracks me up when people say “you shouldn’t have bothered with the ER.” I want to reply, “well, I’ll be happy to gamble with your life, but not my kids’, thanks.” Silly twits.

Better safe than sorry. It’s only money, and money isn’t nearly as important as your child’s well-being and your peace of mind.

7

Surprise surprise , I thought Ohip covered more than that , unless you are in a different province.

Check with your Credit Card company ,and see if they have a travel insurance rider , most of them do now adays , , unless you dont have a credit card.

And don’t be afraid to get on the phone with your mpp or mla or like reprasentative , make sure the people with discretionary spending authority can’t help you out ,rather than a voice on the phone.

Declan

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8

Of course you did the right thing in taking your baby to the hospital – with or without insurance.

When you contact the hospital with an explanation of your situation and an offer to pay $20 a month, be sure to send a check for that amount with your letter. (Be sure to specify whether you will be paying $20 Canadian or $20 American.

Explain that as soon as you have a job you will increase the payment. Don’t specify how much.

Keep your word faithfully. If the hospital hassles you about the arrangements, continue to make these payments while you pursue this with supervisors – all the way to the top if you have to.

When I first got on the internet, I saw a “Happy Birthday to Us” message from a hospital corporation with hospitals all over the nation, as far as I know. I was disgruntled with a local hospital’s handling of a bill so I wrote a letter of inquiry to ask about the ratings of this particular member hospital of their corporation. The author of the “Happy Birthday” message responded and wanted to know if I had had difficulty. I explained the billing problems I was having. The matter was cleared up within a day and I shortly received a letter from the hospital apologizing. I also received another letter from the “Happy Birthday” man asking if everything was okay now. I had gotten lucky. The “Happy Birthday” author was the CEO of the whole kit and kaboodle. :smiley:

9

If I were in your shoes, I would have the US Hospital Bill Canada Direct. It is my understanding that such things happen quite often. Here in the desert we get quite a few “snowbirds” that often need medical care and it seems like Canada does cover their US expenses.

But have the Hospital bill Canada direct.

Or do like everyone else does in the US, claim poverty and say you can’t pay.

10

I’ve been in your situation, except I was (at the time) an uninsured American with a leg broken in six pieces. Waiting around really wasn’t an option. Being 2 days short of having insurance on my new job cost me almost $4,000.

It took a long time, but I did pay it off. Talk to the billing department; in my case, they knocked 50% off the hospital stay p0rtion right off the bat, and let me pay off the rest at $50/month. They’d rather get $20/month than nothing at all.

11

No cites, but I think the problem here is that Canadian Medi-care will only pay the Canadian cost equivilant, and our prices are a hell of a lot cheaper. I guess they figured that 50 dollars is based off the cost of the IV here in Canada and the doctor’s time is paid for whether he sees you or not.

This is a WAG, but I’ve had somewhat the same experience and this is what I was told.

12

I had a $300 medical bill a few years ago that I paid off anywhere from ten to thirty dollars a month on. (I’d donated some of my own blood for surgery on myself, then it got stored at the WRONG FACILITY and the surgery got rescheduled ANYWAY so they threw it out. Three hundred bucks for NOTHING. Arrrrrrrgh!)

I would contact them and explain that you will be paying it off as you can. My understanding on medical bills in this country is that as long as you’re paying SOMETHING they will stay off your back. And maybe there’s SOME Canadian agency that can help?

13

If someone with gastro was seen in a Canadian emergency room, the doctor would be paid between $29 and $47 Canadian, depending on when they came in (9am Monday vs. 3am Saturday). An American in a Canadian emergency room would be charged an additional “Emergency Room use fee” of $150 Canadian, plus extra for X-rays and medicines. The doctor can charge the American whatever they want, but I generally charge them the same amount as a Canadian. Quite a difference, eh?

14

Right. Are you the reason my rates keep going up?!?

Only people with no ethics or decent upbringing “claim poverty” when it’s not true and refuse to pay bills that they have rightfully incurred.

Granted, our costs for even simple medical services are sky-high. But I choose to live here and work within the system, so I pay what I incur. Having two small children, there was one time that I was in the doctor’s office or the emergency room every day for a week. My doctor’s office visits cost $30 right off the top, plus my insurance company pays about 30% of the cost of each procedure or piece of equipment (band-aids are equipment, did you know? So are cotton balls and tape). Plus drugs, ER visits, nurses looking at you, doctors looking at you, another nurse looking at you 30 minutes later, etc. One illness cost me almost $1000, after my insurance company paid their part.

I feel for you tonbo, getting mashed up in our healthcare system. But do your best.