Farber doesn’t open back up until June 9th, and they don’t offer an option to pay inflated health fees to use their services during the summer. The guy on the phone actually laughed at me when I asked, which really pissed me off–it was a valid question; there are various services on campus that you can pay for a-la-carte during the summer months to access. Believe I’m putting in a complaint, especially after the way the rest of my day went.
So I started checking all the walk-in clinics around town and apparently we’re down to one. When all was said and done, I paid $140 for the visit alone, and $195 for blood work and a urine test. That’s $335 I paid out of pocket today. I had $145 in my PayPal account so the rest of that’s coming out of what I was using to pay rent.
What did $335 get me? Not a fucking thing. I got a visit with a doctor who answered a fucking phone call during our meeting and completely ignored my thoughts on the possibility of it being mono.
Did I get any answers for $335? No, I fucking didn’t. For $335 I got told that I need another fucking $2800 for a CT Scan to maybe figure out what’s wrong. Let’s not even think of other ways of checking me out since we’re all very aware that this is out-of-pocket.
To say I’m pissed is an understatement. I’m upset, I’m hurt, I’m angry…and to boot, I still don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me. There’s the very small hope that I may get some sort of answers from the blood work, but I think we all know by now that I just don’t have any good luck when it comes to that. It’ll all come back normal, I’m sure.
If anyone ever asks in the future why I ignore problems for so long instead of going to the doctor, this is why. I always get the runaround, whether it’s my body’s fault, or the fault of the doctors. It usually just causes more stress than it’s worth to eventually find out it’s something that isn’t a big deal.
I’m so fucking upset right now!
I mean damn….there’s no way it costs THEM $195 to process the blood work. And there’s no way it costs $2800 to turn on the CT machine. Why is it okay for them to charge so much? I just don’t fucking understand.
EDIT: Oh and I forgot to mention he prescribed me Lortab for the pain………..uhh thanks, but that’s totally not necessary and I’m really not sure how you expect me to be able to pay for Loatab after that visit bill?!
May 29th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
The health care system in this country is a joke. Mike and I avoid doctors now, even though we have insurance. I’ll never forget the time he was sent for a “second opinion” at Mass General. All he got was a “sales pitch” for some surgery he doesn’t really need from some high-priced doctors.
And then Mass General turned us over to a collection agency…even though we HAVE INSURANCE, and they never even sent us a regular bill before turning us to collection. Three grand, they wanted, just to have TALKED to a few docs.
We fought it, we won and didn’t have to pay. But we still can’t get the collection agency thing off our credit report.
I’m sorry you’re dealing with this crap. It sucks big time.
May 29th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Actually, CT scans do cost that much, I’ve had about 13 of them in the last 7+ years now, but they should not have treated you so badly, and it was mega rude of him to take a call while he was with a patient.
I would definitely file a complaint with whoever you need to.
Hopefully the blood work will come back with some sort of answer, but I have a feeling the clinic will make you pay to get the results.
So sorry you are going through this, wish I could help or say something positive, but medical shit sucks, period.
Try to get some rest and hope for the blood results to give you an answer.
May 29th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Remember when I was put in the hospital for stomach problems 3 times during 2005? A CT scan was performed 2/3 times along with an endoscopy (isn’t that where the run the tube down your throat?) and some other procedure where I had to drink this crazy, nasty stuff and my insides were scanned. After all that, there was NO CONCLUSION to my situation. The problems kept arising occasionally until I had my appendix taken out in 2006 (only then did they consider an appendectomy because my cramps came with vomiting that time). The hospital bills were insane, and the appendectomy bill was ridiculous. Fortunately, my family has pretty good insurance that covered most of it since I’d met my deductible; however, I was still appalled at what I was billed for. $3 for two capsules of Tylenol. The “recovery room” stay– the “room” consisted of me wheeled to the side of a room, lying alone in my bed for 15 minutes– cost nearly $400. What the fuck is that about? Why did it cost $400 for me to lie in the corner of a room for 15 minutes all by myself? Why did two Tylenol cost $3 when I can buy a bottle of 60 for the same price of less?
I also had an MRI done once while I was having these weird fluttering noises in my ear. The ENT doctor couldn’t find anything, so he sent in a request for me to have an MRI because it might have been a benign tumor. They ended up finding nothing and just concluded they didn’t know what was causing the fluttering noise.
Um, what the fuck. Seriously.
Here’s to a future president who can fix our health care system. It’s utter bullshit, but I didn’t need to tell you that.
I’m sorry we don’t live in Canada, Jade.
May 29th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Come to think of it, my friend Sarah lives in Canada, and I bet she’d take us in. Hmmm.
May 31st, 2008 at 7:27 pm
I get SO frustrated with how most doctor are just not fully committed to doing their job in the time they have us in the office. My daughter has eczema and a month ago it turned inot something bumpy, wleting, red, itchy and all over her poor little body. We are on our 3rd terribly expensive cream and it is only getting worse.
Yes, she has insurance through her dad, but there are still the co-pays and the massive portions we have to pay toward meds, and my time over and over and over with different doctors — AND my little girl suffering all the while.
I feel for you, my friend. I am very scared of what it will be like when COBRA is over for me and I may not have insurance.
May 31st, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Christine–I know what you mean on that as well; when I still had insurance, I dealt more than once with being sent past due bills that had already been covered by my insurance.
And it annoys me so much that even when it comes to your health, people will try to sell you on the most important ‘fix’ they can.
May 31st, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Kat–I was more meaning that I don’t feel like it costs them 2800 to perform the scan, ya know? I mean, if it did, then it would have to take as much electricity as it takes to run this apartment for about two years! lol
From what I gathered, I don’t have to pay to get the results. I called Friday but they didn’t have them back yet, but they also have an automated system that I can check online or by phone after the 5th so hopefully I won’t get another bill later for that; I wouldn’t put it past them though.
May 31st, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Catie–yeah that’s the shit I’m talking about…how in the hell do they really get off charging such outrageous prices for things that don’t cost THEM that much? I mean damn, I’m gonna buy a case of sodas and sell those bitches for $18 a can! See how they like it!
And then when they’re done drinking it, I’ll bill them later for a disposal fee too.
I mean for fuck’s sake, they charged $25 for the urine test. They make me pee in a cup and I have to pay $25 for that? Bullshit.
May 31st, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Angie–that’s horrible! I hate that they’ll let someone suffer just so they can make a buck both from seeing as many patients as possible and prescribing drugs that they’re getting benefits for pushing. (Not that that’s necessarily the case with your daughter, but it often is, ya know?) I wish that when it came to your health, they’d bother to take the time to really figure out what’s wrong rather than almost always jumping to the ‘try and see’ method of fixing things.