Is there anything else I can help you with?

MinM

I have almost paid off the balance from my appendectomy. Yea...still paying that bad boy off. So, I call the billing department and ask, if I pay off the balance, would the hospital offer a discount?

The guys says they would have to look into that...and something about already giving my insurance a discount and if they discount it again, I could lose my insurance discount (of which I have never heard of before).

He says come in and talk to someone so they can look into that (after he asked for my account number).

Then he has the audacity to say, the alternative would be to just keep paying it...as if I hadn't come to that conclusion on my own. And THEN he says, Is there anything else I can do for you?

FVCKER. YOU HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING FOR ME TO BEGIN WITH.

*Barbie*

if it's in billing vs. collections, I don't know how much they can do. the guy sounds like an assh*le though.

one of my L&D bills went to hospital collections because i was disputing one of the charges/insurance coverage (there was a surcharge for a private room - but all rooms at the hospital are private, so should have just been billed as a room) - insurance was dragging their feet in resolving, so it went to collections - i got them to cut like 25-30% off to pay it up front. I tried the same thing with another portion of my hospital bill that hadn't gone to collections. they wouldn't give me anything.

zsazsa-stl

Oh?  Just keep paying the bill?  You can do that? 

You have my permission to wave a knife in the direction of the phone.

VarunaTT

We actually had this problem and it is impossibly stupid.  I thought the doctor was going to blow his lid.

Bill is submitted to insurance.  Insurance pays X amount, which is their contracted "discount" amount.  Patient makes payments, faithfully and on time for 3 years straight, then loses job.  Amount left is so small (like $300?), doc just wants to write it off entirely, not bad debt or collections it.

Completely and totally impossible to do, b/c of what you listed above. And it's RETARDED.  The final agreement is patient's paying like $5/month until it's gone.