From: stank@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (Stan Krieger)
Subject: Re: Complaining about a hospital bill...
Organization: Summit NJ
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 13:58:42 GMT

>Last year, my third daughter had two wisdom teeth pulled by an oral
>surgeon and when the procedure was done, presented me with a bill well
>over what my dental insurance company wanted.  
>
>I called him and told him flat out that what he wanted was not what I
>was quoted, nor was it what the insurance company said was "reasonable
>and proper" and that I would pay him off over time, period.
>
>End of case.  I paid the bill, submitted the proof and received a check.
>
>The moral of the story is to call each doctor, dentist and hospital on
>the carpet on charges and try to make them realize that health care is
>too important to be run the way it is presently -- inefficiently.

First, one of my favorite complaints is that there must be a book, that
somehow only merchants and service providers know about, that provides
them with standard answers to customer complaints.  I say this because
of the number of times that two unrelated providers of the same service
have given me the same answer to the same complaint or comment.

In the case of medical services, the book tells them to say "We are not
affiliated with Blue Shield and are not bound by their payment schedule"
to a customer complaint of a charge exceeding what is considered "reasonable
and customary".  Another thing that the book apparently tells them to
say is that the patient agreed to pay all charges independent of any
insurance coverage.  All I answer is that my signature on such a form
was never meant to convey that I was signing a blank check, and in the
absence of a contract detailing price and services ahead of time, the
best they could ever hope to get is the reasonable value of their services,
and it would be pretty hard for them to fight the insurance figure.
Fortunately for me, the amounts have been small enough for the doctor
to not try to go after me for the difference.

Finally, I think the real problem is that costs aren't questioned.  For
example, I see on the news about some new AIDS drug, but the item then
points out the high cost (e.g., $115 a week).  At this point, I am
just about screaming "WAIT A MINUTE!  This "cost" wasn't set by the
government or some consumer medical counsel.  It's a combination of
charges set by the manufacturer, distributor(s), and retailer(s).
Where did this number come from?  Is it in fact a fair price to recover
research, manufacture, shipping, and stocking charges, or is it a
price that will maximize profits, independent of the actual marketing
or production costs?"

A similar situation occurs when someone is desparately trying to get
donations to pay for a child's liver transplant.  When the news talks
of a cost of $150,000 or so, they quote that number as some sort of
gospel instead of analyzing how it was arrived at.  I mean, is a huge
chunk of it some doctor(s) lining his pocket, or are there real costs
(such as constant attention by nurses or orderlies)?  Are the costs
of lab tests real, or is the patient being expected to donate a lab wing
to the hospital?
-- 
Stan Krieger                     All opinions, advice, or suggestions, even
AT&T UNIX System Laboratories    if related to my employment, are my own.
Summit, NJ
smk@usl.com
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