r/HospitalBills

My friend is on Medicare with Medicaid/Tenncare as his supplement. He lives in Tennessee. He is covered under Specified Low Income Medicare Beneficiary. He has UHC. He was in the hospital for 19 days in 2025 with heart problems/defilibrator put in his heart. He has been receiving random bills with one being $6000. We have called so many times. The hospital says they didn't have his Tenncare number. We give it to them. Still get bill...rinse and repeat. His EOB shows all was paid and his part is $0 but they keep billing. It is now in collection. His letters from Tenncare say the hospital has agreed to accept the contracted amount. However, the hospital says no. What if anything can be done? No other Dr's or clinics bill for any amount.

Hello, I would like to ask for advice on a recent situation regarding a surprise charge.
I had to get a blood drawn for a TB screening for college. I had a couple visits to the same clinic and I did paid them through their app (I have receipt). Now, one month and almost two weeks later, I got a letter in the mail that I have a bill to pay from a laboratory which is the one that performed the screening. The day I got my blood drawn I do not remember being told about this or signing a document that informed me about an external extra charge. Researching I found about "no surprises" act from 2022 and the "good faith estimate" and how it could appeal to this. While I can pay it, money is short because im leaving for college and i would rather not pay it especially i am right in that I was not informed that there would be an extra charge. If somebody knows what would be the best way to proceed, advice is welcome. thank you!

P.S: The extra charge was for $280, and everything was self-pay. This happened in Arizona.

I’m really hoping someone here has dealt with something like this because I honestly have no idea what I’m supposed to do.

Last summer, my wife's ENT told her she needed 4 procedures. One was in-office and the other 3 were going to be done at the hospital. A few months later, they started working on scheduling and prior auth. One of the procedures, involving the Eustachian tube, was apparently having trouble getting authorized. We told them very clearly that if insurance doesn’t authorize it, we're not doing it. They told us they were working on it and would cancel if they couldn’t get it approved.

A few months later, they told us everything was authorized. I asked multiple times because I had already warned them that we wouldn't do the procedure if it wasn't approved. The hospital was very weird at the beginning, asking us if we would still do it if unapproved. Like, who would? They said yes multiple times, everything was approved, so we carried on.

Before the hospital visit, the hospital told us we had to pay a little over $2,000 up front. They showed us the breakdown and it included her deductible (we each have a $600 one), so we paid it. Then the bills started showing up later.

The earlier in-office procedure was billed separately, came in the mail later, and suddenly I had another bill for about $900, including around $600 toward my deductible. That made no sense because we had already paid the hospital over $2,000 and the hospital's own estimate showed her deductible being included.

We've spent the last 6+ months going back and forth with hospital billing and Accolade (which we have to use for our insurance). Nobody will give us a straight answer.

Eventually, Accolade told us that the Eustachian tube procedure was never actually authorized. Apparently that’s why we're now responsible for the full charge, which looks like it could be tens of thousands of dollars. But the hospital told me multiple times that it was authorized, and I specifically told them I would not do it without authorization.

And somehow!!! (this is the even more ridiculous part) the other numbers still don't make sense either. I am a numbers guy, and none of them line up. It doesn't matter how many times i try getting on the phone with their billing department and/or Accolade, it all ends in word salad, non-answers.

Last week we sent the insurance a written dispute after Accolade told us to do that. Accolade said they would contact the hospital/provider for letters of medical necessity. Meanwhile the insurance responded saying they won't even review the dispute of the insurance claim without a letter of medical necessity. When we asked Accolade for an update on "where is it?" they are suddenly giving us the same word salad that the hospital did. I can't believe it.

I have no idea what that is supposed to mean. Isn't that something the doctor/hospital sends to the insurance company? I've never been given one. Now, to make things even worse, we got a letter today saying the debt has gone to collections. We haven't ignored this debt! We've been fighting with the hospital and insurance for months trying to get someone to explain what the hell happened.

So what do we actually do now?

Do we need to get the full claim history and all the EOBs? Demand the hospital's prior auth records? Ask for proof of what was submitted and approved? File an insurance appeal? Dispute it with the collection agency? Talk to a lawyer?

Does the fact that the hospital repeatedly told us the procedure was authorized, after I explicitly, multiple times, said I wouldn't do it otherwise, matter here? I mean who even in their right mind would do a unapproved procedure?

I'm completely lost. Any advice from someone who's dealt with hospital billing/prior auth/insurance appeals would be hugely appreciated. There is a clock ticking on both this debt collection notice and insurance claim appeal and we just feel so defeated. I hate this system.

So, my gross income is around $81,600. My NET income is $48,000. Huge difference. I’m paying hundreds towards my private insurance every month, and yet I’m still projected to pay about $7600 for a normal vaginal delivery. This is insane. How am I supposed to afford that?? Should I drop my insurance and just get on my state’s Medicare program for assistance?

I would say our healthcare system is a joke but it’s not very funny. I’m anxiety ridden.

Hello,

I recently was exposed to potential case of rabies with a bat. Immediately I went to the ER because that’s the only place I could get the post- exposure vaccine. Being that the rabies vaccine is a series, I have to return every 4 days until I’ve had the 4th dose. My question- while my insurance said the rabies vaccine is covered by my plan do I have to pay the $300 copay every time I go to the ER for the follow up shots? You’d think that because it’s mandatory follow up I’d only have to pay one copay but now I’m nervous as I’m a college student and I can’t swing the $1200. I’m located in NJ.

After reading this article about free IUD's AND visit fees waived for the month of August, I got an IUD last week. Ahead of time, I read so many different flyers for this clinic to be absolutely sure that it would be free. My two-person household earns $57k a year, which is wellllll below 4x the federal poverty level ($84,600). Now I am told I owe $375 because it was on a sliding scale. Every single thing I read said you must be uninsured and make less than 4x federal poverty level to be eligible for a FREE IUD and NO visit fees. NOTHING about "if you make less than 4x fed poverty level you will be placed on a sliding scale". Free and sliding scale are very different things.

My first visit I waited around for almost 4 hours, and then spoke to a doctor for maybe 3 minutes total, charged $125. Then I had my IUD the next week, $125, and I have a follow-up next week for another $125.

After my first charge (before the second appt to get the IUD), I called the billing department (took my four tries on 3 different days to reach them) because an email from them said I owed $125 but the payment portal said my balance was $0. She said it was a mistake and I don't owe anything.

This made me cautious so I asked the front desk before the IUD insertion if I would owe anything and she said no.

I just got off of a long phone call with the billing department. She told me that the IUD device itself was free (so I know I made the first-come, first-serve), but based on their sliding scale, I have to pay a $125 visit fee ANY time I come to CrescentCare (the whole healthcare facility, not just for IUD sexual health stuff). I told her that was totally different from what I read online. She basically said that the stuff I was reading wasn't accurate and that other people have had this complaint but that it is what it is and I have to pay. She also said the front desk person doesn't know about billing and shouldn't have told me I wouldn't owe anything.

The fact that she said the $125 is my visit fee for anything relating to CrescentCare made me think perhaps they were treating these appointments how they treat any visits from uninsured folks on the sliding scale, rather than honoring the waived visit fees that were advertised as part of the August IUD special.

She said her manager will call me and I want to continue to push pack. Does anyone have advice? Saying "every single thing I read about this special said it would be FREE if I was eligible and I am eligible but now you're charging me $400" was not working...

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1533644895473812&set=a.376208611217452

been going down a medical billing rabbit hole lately and keep seeing people with like $1k-$2k ER bills that they think were coded wrong

now my whole feed is these companies that say they'll "audit your bill and negotiate it for you". anyone actually used one? did they find something real or did they just call the billing department the same way i could've done myself for free

tempted but also paying someone + handing my entire medical history to some sites feels a little off

I (M20) have been on sigma care plus 100 for the past 1-2 years. I recently had to undergo rabies PEP only to find out that it doesn’t cover it, and I am on the hook for over 25k. This isn’t as much about health insurance as it is asking for any ideas. I don’t want to have to pay 25k and I’m not sure I qualify for any assistance. I don’t know why plans like mine are allowed or legal. Is there anything I can do to avoid being 25k in the hole. I don’t think I should be this much in debt, this feels really unfair and I’m not sure anyone can help me.
I’m in the US btw

Edit: Reddit is a terrible place for advice

I have been on a low sugar diet for years due to mold toxicity and potential autoimmune issues. I have healed most of that now. As I try and live stress free and enjoy life, reincorporating “normal foods” in my diet is part of that. A local ice cream shop has a “no sugar added ice cream”, knowing it has chemical sweeteners but low sugar, I tried it out. The entire next day I experienced the worst stomach pains of my life. 18 hours later when they weren’t better I went to the ER. 6 hours, some morphine, and tramadol later, they found nothing wrong. I could barely walk I was in so much pain.

So now I’m stuck with a $1,300 ER bill, (which in all reality isn’t too bad).. and wondering if I am allergic to the allulose or malitol. Anyone else????

I have no insurance at the moment and was told up right that my bill would be around 2k when I was in the er. Few days later they somehow updated my bill to 5k!? It’s insane, I tried to set up a payment plan but the least amount of money I can deposit each month is 850$ that’s my whole paycheck. I keep trying to figure out financial aid but it’s just asking me a bunch of shit I don’t have or know. What do I do at this point? I have another bill for 100$ and am awaiting a third from a separate hospital.

Mother in law had a major stroke at the end of March where her left side is no longer usable. I've been trying to help my wife as much as I can since she's the only child. She was in the main hospital post stroke for 3 weeks, then acute rehab facility for 21 days, then skilled nursing for 21 more days under Medicare (aetna). She's currently staying at a nursing facility under Medicaid pending status since she needs constant care.

Her mom got the 1st major bill, which is for the acute rehab facility. $79,490 but she's responsible for $2700. Wife's mom doesn't have income (thus why we applied for Medicaid) as a stay at home mom and her dad doesn't make much income with his failing business. He's also 80 years old.

This is just 1 bill, haven't even received the bill for the main ER/hospital stay or the skilled nursing facility. Would it be possible to negotiate the bill less? Also since she's Medicaid pending, if she doesn't get approved, I read that we can retroactively apply Medicaid benefits to her hospital visits 3 months prior to her application. If that's true, how does that work?

I went to an ENT doctor to check on my sinus, because I've been dying over it for a year. I thought I'd just get charged 50 dollars for the copay of seeing a specialist, but no. It was 600$, a month of my living expense.

A month of my living expense. A month of my living expense for an endoscopy. The doctor spent not even 5 minutes poking around in my nose, I didn't even know its a medical procedure I'd get charged for separately from my visit.

Frankly, I'm not even mad about this, I'm blanking out, I feel so numb. The doctor should get paid for the procedure, sure. But what about me? Just getting by is so tough...

Why do we have to be hit by such an astronomical bill, when we're just trying to get healthcare. I am fortunate to have insurance, but I pay so much for it already every paycheck. It feels wrong, it feels exploitative. I'm so tired...

I am trying to dispute a charge by sounds physician as they billed my insurance for the same service the hospital did. They denied the first appeal. What can I say to dispute. They are charging $4k for a eval which was only verbal for 5 min (no other service conducted). And this was already billed by the ER.

Terrible pain in my stomach went in to ER. Diagnosed with gallstones, surgery suggested, admitted, kept over night surgery in the morning. Surgery and anesthesia time was almost triple what I was told before hand. Stayed another night in hospital due to surgery running long.

Bill lands and says 85k before doctors fees. My insurance is covering 55 at the time of writing this but I think in a worst case scenario I get stuck with that 30k if it goes down as not covered.

Fuck this.

Hi guys! I am feeling better but need some advice on my medical situation bill situation.

I currently owe the hospital that poisoned me ~$3,400. I have paid off some of the hospital visits but I still owe 2 that total to $3,400. All of this started from 1 IV of Cipro and taking 4 pills that they instructed me to take. I took the pills that I got from my pharmacy the next couple of days. Just curious how I should handle. I’m assuming I have no proof that I can present that they caused all this bullshit and damage to my body and there is zero chance they waive any of the bills. Is there anything I can do to get it reduced? I have insurance and they covered most of the bills. My insurance ends tomorrow and my new policy will start on September 1st. Need some advice because I honestly have no idea what to do. I am currently working part-time again and am doordashing occasionally as well for money. Thanks again!

-Justin

This is in India.