… die? It’s expensive! Cedars Sinai Medical Center billed Medicare $132,000 (yes!) for ONE week of care. I don’t want this to be morose but I do want to use my father’s death a couple of months ago as a life lesson about how to be pro-active in your own medical care.
The doctors wanted to run every diagnostic test they could think of, often more than once. They suggested all sorts of treatments and medications. And they knew he was terminal.
Although we kept the procedures to a minimum, the costs mounted and Medicare wound up with that outrageous bill. What’s important here in addition to the insane cost of medical care (which the health care “reform” doesn’t even begin to address), is that Medicare reduced the hospital’s bill to $14,000 and Cedars Sinai had to write off the rest. Really.
All PPO plans work this way! It’s why I tell my clients to avoid paying a provider in full for medical expenses before the insurance company processes your claim. Otherwise, it’s more than likely that you’ll overpay for your medical services and getting a refund from a provider is painful!
Fight for your money! S/he who writes the checks has the power… not the receptionist behind the front desk or the provider’s billing service.
Talk to me about other exciting discussions you should be having with your providers… it’ll open your eyes and maybe even save you some money.
