I recently incurred a knee injury playing a sport and broke my left patella. This is my first major medical need as a 29 year old on my own insurance plan. I have a bronze-tiered plan with a $6k deductible with 50% coinsurance after the deductible is met. I also have accidental insurance with Aflac and an additional insurance policy through my players' association. I have been in contact with both and have claims filed already.
The night of my injury, I went to the ER and upon leaving, I paid $100 deposit. A few days later, I paid a copay for approximately $1k to the ER hospital. I have yet to receive an itemized bill for this, so I am unsure if my personal expenses here are done? Can anyone confirm this?
Six days later, I met with an orthopedic specialist. He looked at my x-rays, did a few simple mobility tests and was certain I was sentenced to surgery to repair my knee cap. He scheduled me for outpatient surgery at another hospital near by (much better and larger facility) two days later. I paid the ortho a copay of approximately $1,600 for the upcoming surgery. He said this cost was due to the "health insurance company's contracted rates." I was sort of relieved at this point, even though I hadn't met my deductible, I had to dish out some cash but nowhere near what I thought I would...yet.
The next day, the new hospital called and asked for a copay of about $2.6k for the outpatient service. Okay...a little frustrating, still not too upset.
One day later, I had surgery to wire up my fractured patella.
It is now four days after surgery and I called both the ER and OR hospitals for itemized bills. The hospital in which surgery was performed had a grand total of almost $65k. I have yet to receive my itemized bill from the ER hospital (they seem slow).
The itemized bill for surgery has me absolutely floored. I thought I had a basic understanding of my health insurance, what and how is covered, and so on and so forth, but since this bill is now sitting in front of me with the price tag that it has, I can't help but think I have just been blindsided by my own naivety or lack of education on the topic.
Am I doomed? Am I responsible for covering my deductible and then paying half of this $65k bill plus whatever is still to come from the ER? Am I worrying too much before all of the dust settles and health insurance takes care of it?
Submitted October 31, 2017 at 05:05PM by bernholesurfer http://ift.tt/2gR043T
