During the tail end of 2020, I learned I had a desiccated disc and was told surgery might end up being inevitable - and it ultimately did. Since I didn't have insurance, I had to go through a ton of hoops to try and get approval for a spinal fusion surgery. Up until July, I received nothing but bad news, but during June, I applied for Medicaid and was approved and the coverage became active in July.
Although I was still able to walk around, if I sat upright even for just thirty minutes, it would disrupt my bodily functions for days. I was terrified of facing permanent nerve damage and I tried to do everything I could to push the issue and receive help. When my Medicaid coverage became active, my PCP told me I would finally be able to get the surgery approved. Meanwhile, I was going days without urinating. I ultimate gave in to my fear and wound up going to a hospital.
During the first visit, absolutely nothing happened and the doctor practically scoffed at my insistence that I needed help. On the second visit, the doctor put in an order for a CT scan and said he would send it to a neurologist to overlook it. I made an attempt to tell him I happened to bring a CD-R with a previous CT scan that he could use, but he ignored me. After waiting a few hours, the doctor returned and told me my condition wasn't bad enough to be rushed to surgery.
Two months later. I receive a bill in the mail for both visits. Nearly $2,000 in total. I asked numerous people what I should do about it, and I was repeatedly told that it would be tossed back and forth between my insurer and the hospital. As I was waiting for things to play out, I received another letter notifying me that my bill had been sent off to a collection agency.
From here, I called the agency and informed them of the situation. Apparently, the hospital I went to sent incorrect information, and this lead to some sort of issue. I gave them my Medicaid info and figured things would work out. Weeks later, the agency called me about the bill again, and after asking about the insurance, I was told that I wasn't eligible for coverage at the time of the visits, so I had to pay the full amount.
...and I'm panicking. I have no income, and because of the spinal fusion I had, I am nowhere near healthy enough to go out and seek employment. I read on this thread that if you make under a certain amount of money, the hospital legally has to pay your medical bills. But I didn't find this info until after the bill had been sent to the collection agency. so I just don't know. I'm so confused. I ONLY went to the hospital because my Medicaid coverage became active. and somehow, I wasn't eligible for a hospital visit. I don't get it.
Submitted December 22, 2021 at 04:37AM by throwaway79845 https://ift.tt/3mrlzdN
