Scorpion sting leaves Arizona woman with $83K bill

[dmcowen674]

9-5-2012

http://news.yahoo.com/scorpion-sting-leaves-arizona-woman-huge-bill-225717487.html

Scorpion sting leaves Arizona woman with $83K bill


An Arizona woman is wondering what hurt more: getting stung by a scorpion or seeing her hospital bill after treatment.

Marcie Edmonds says the bill from Chandler Regional Medical Center was more than $83,000. That includes two doses of anti-venom at nearly $40,000 per dose.

The 52-year-old Ahwatukee Foothills resident was stung in June while opening a box of air conditioner filters in her garage.

Edmonds' insurer has paid more than $57,000 and the suburban Phoenix hospital is asking Edmonds for the balance of about $25,000.

Edmonds says an emergency room doctor told her about the Mexican anti-venom Anascorp that could quickly relieve her symptoms, but she was never told about the cost.


Chandler Regional says Edmonds' bill represents the out-of-network costs for her treatment.

 

[dmcowen674]

I don't think even ObamaCare could fix this

 

[Lemon law]

I don't think even ObamaCare could fix this

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think at least Obama care could reduce her co pay. Along with the blatent dis honesty of her doctors and hospital.

As for me, if I was so bitten by a scorpion and lived long enough to get to a hospital, as scorpion bites are rarely fatal or cause long term problems, I would sure suffer the temporary pain of the bite rather than pay 80K for more immidiate relief.

I blame the hospital and doctors who should be prosecuted for fraud. And disbarred from the practice of medicine to boot.

 

[Jaskalas]

I don't think even ObamaCare could fix this

No, but in the simplest terms the government could simply write it off, pay the bill. Maybe the doctors should have some involvement with the billing department, instead of being entirely removed from the process.

Maybe the government, through the CDC?, should setup an anti-venom supply and distribution center.

scorpion bites...

 

[SS Trooper]

So I just learned you can breed scorpions to harvest venom and then sell antivenom to instantly become rich as hell.

 

[JEDIYoda]

I don't think even ObamaCare could fix this

No but Romney could easily pay for it out of pocket!! Thats chump change to him!!

 

[hal2kilo]

No, but in the simplest terms the government could simply write it off, pay the bill. Maybe the doctors should have some involvement with the billing department, instead of being entirely removed from the process.

Maybe the government, through the CDC?, should setup an anti-venom supply and distribution center.

Are you saying that there are some things that the government can do that free enterprise can't?

 

[Atreus21]

I didn't even know there were bills of the $83000 denomination.

 

[OutHouse]

damn thats nuts. 40K per dose?? holy shit.

 

[zanejohnson]

<----- has a $880,000 bill that will completely go unpaid for a 3 month stay in the hospital from a recluse bite which got horribly infected.... they were nice and reduced it to 110k since then however.. i'm still not gonna pay that.

not to mention the multiple several thousand dollar bills i get from random doctors (some i dont even remember/never saw) STILL TO THIS DAY related to that stay..

 

[spidey07]

So why didn't dumb bitch have health insurance?

 

[TheSpy007]

Wow. I remember a few years back i was visiting a friend and felt gravely sick the next day. That night i had a 106F temp, cold chills, and felt like dying. I had to go to the local hospital ER, only place open. I waited for 20 mins, talked to the doc. He ran a blood test and said you have the swine flu. Then went on to say there is nothing we can do, just have to wait it out. A week later they sent me a bill for $2,400. I was able to drop it to $1,800. Its sad to see people go bankrupt to pay their damn medical bills.

 

[kia75]

She did have health insurance, and they paid $57,000 of the bill but she still owes $25,000 more.

 

[spidey07]

She did have health insurance, and they paid $57,000 of the bill but she still owes $25,000 more.

I see no mention of insurance, and I've never seen a plan with out of pocket maximum that high.

-edit-
See about insurer now. This is between her and the insurance company. She does NOT owe 25,000. She needs to tell the hostpital and any bills "send them to my insurance company, I'm not paying".

 

[Gooberlx2]

So why didn't dumb bitch have health insurance?

"Edmonds' insurer has paid more than $57,000 and the suburban Phoenix hospital is asking Edmonds for the balance of about $25,000."

Probably shitty insurance though. I had an employer once who offered the worst fucking insurance in history. Really, it barely covered anything. Shopped my own...but I'm healthy.

I don't think even ObamaCare could fix this

If the minimum standards impose a maximum annual out of pocket cost, in this case less than $25K, that would help.

 

[OutHouse]

So why didn't dumb bitch have health insurance?

thats pretty harsh and judgmental dont you think? besides she had health insurance if you read the story you would have see it.

 

[Charles Kozierok]

The solution to this problem is simple: tax cuts for higher-income earners.

 

[Incorruptible]

The solution to this problem is simple: tax cuts for higher-income earners.

Tax cuts for EVERYONE, nice to see liberals beveling in equality. How about tax cuts for the leeches on welfare

End the income tax.

 

[BudAshes]

So why didn't dumb bitch have health insurance?

Looks like you're the dumb bitch who can't read.

 

[Moonbeam]

I think medicine should be nationalized and militarized, that doctors should be tested for mental, emotional and physical skills and given free education is government owned medical hospital universities, military rank and privileges with free treatment to veterans and all Americans. NASA should do the drugs research an medical equipment and engineering, and IBM' AI the medical preliminary diagnosis. I see no reason why medical people shouldn't have a very good life style, but capped because it should be an advocation, not a profit driven enterprise. Get the greedy out om medicine and get the humanitarians in.

The military is a very effective organization and would be better still if they made their own weapons at cost.

 

[shabby]

Canada...

 

[CottonRabbit]

<----- has a $880,000 bill that will completely go unpaid for a 3 month stay in the hospital from a recluse bite which got horribly infected.... they were nice and reduced it to 110k since then however.. i'm still not gonna pay that.

not to mention the multiple several thousand dollar bills i get from random doctors (some i dont even remember/never saw) STILL TO THIS DAY related to that stay..

You're case was completely different. I could understand if you simply can't pay the bill, but from your post, it sounds like you don't believe your care team deserves the pay in the first place. You don't think a 3 month stay for necrotizing fasciitis (IIRC) deserves a 6 figure bill? They didn't just inject some horse serum into you and call it a day. Do you have any idea how much work was put into your care?

 

[feralkid]

So why didn't dumb bitch have health insurance?

She was waiting for Perry-Care to be her next provider.

 

[Wreckem]

I see no mention of insurance, and I've never seen a plan with out of pocket maximum that high.

-edit-
See about insurer now. This is between her and the insurance company. She does NOT owe 25,000. She needs to tell the hostpital and any bills "send them to my insurance company, I'm not paying".

It clearly says the $25k are charges the insurance didn't cover because the visit was out of network. Insurance doesn't cover 100% of out of network. Its between her and the hospital and the dr's. If you have insurance, you only go to out of network if there are no other options but even then you still have to pay the out of network costs. In this case it appears her insurance only covered 70% of out of network costs which is fairly standard.

 

[MrColin]

Quote:
Originally Posted by spidey07
So why didn't dumb bitch have health insurance?
"Edmonds' insurer has paid more than $57,000 and the suburban Phoenix hospital is asking Edmonds for the balance of about $25,000."

According to spidey, everyone who gets sick is a dumb bitch and needs to just die.