[Rant] I so dislike our healthcare system. (imgur.com)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by ChamelAjvalel@lemmy.world to c/mentalhealth@lemmy.world

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Update: 7-30-23

Added images to an album at imgur with proof showing the bill has the correct website written three times on the bill. Also, showing the address to both locations (As each other claim the other does not exist), and google maps showing Centura locations.

Update: 7-31-23

Like the energizer bunny, the stupid at this company keeps going and going and going and going.

Difficult getting a real human, so try to setup an automated payment via the automated system. Well, not my first time with this company, so don't trust them at all. Call back to verify, go through hoops and hurdles to get a real person. Nope, I only made a payment, ok, let me setup a payment plan. Ok, do you want to remove the payment you setup as that will not be added to your payment plan? What? Instead of paying x, you'll be paying x+y...Yeah, let's cancel that. Ok, set up the payment plan. Can I make the payment still? That wouldn't work because of how the payment plan is set up.

Seriously? Is that really that difficult for the programmers to write for your systems?

I tell you, dealing with this company does make me feel a little better. For, even how addled I have gotten, I feel like if they can run a major business, so can I, 🤣

End Update

I don't know a good spot to put this, but maybe this would be a good spot to just vent...It adds to the mental strain that's just absolutely bonkers...Plus, might be something for people to think about if they happen to go to the same hospital business a city over. Just 45 minutes away. Shown as an affiliate of the same business on their own website. 😶

Anyway, I saw a doctor a year ago, got x-rays and had an EKG. Fine. Will get a bill...Fine.

Got a bill in January, 6 months after from Centura...In Ohio...Not Colorado...What?

The statement says to send a payment or log in to their website. I log into their website, enter the account number...Nada...I do it again...Nada...Again, and again, and again...Nothing. So I call the number on the website (as I trust that over some odd bill from an address that I've never seen from this company before). The representative had no knowledge of it. The account didn't exist.

I even checked mycentura account, and I owe nothing...What? What? What?

Well, just yesterday I got a call from this questionable Centura company...finally...And guess what? They don't understand what I'm talking about...It's never been that way...I would never pay to Centura in Denver. Their billing offices are in Cincinnati. How the heck can there be two completely separate entities of the same bloody business?

Holy fuck!

Sorry for the cursing, but unfortunately, this warrants it. It's just so idiotic.

End rant.

[2nd attempt to post this. Removed some curse words and the h word as maybe the filters are a bit wonky or purposefully overly sensitive].

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[-] oshitwaddup@lemmy.antemeridiem.xyz 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

A few times now i've gotten a completely unexpected bill from a dr visit, they never told me there would be an out of pocket bill let alone how much it would be or anything when i was at the dr, so i just don't pay it. Iirc if it's less than $400 it won't affect your credit, and it's always been a case where if i had known it would cost so much i just wouldn't have done it. The whole system is bs but if you're not even gonna give me a chance to give fully informed consent i don't feel bad not paying

[-] ChamelAjvalel@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

I hate to say it, but I have seriously lost all respect for hospitals. Hell, the whole reason for this rant was because I wanted to find out what happened to my digestive tract by going to a different doctor because the one here was the one who prescribed the meds that did this to me. Now, not only do I have my pains that make living hard, now I have this GERD which makes breathing, thinking, and even eating hard. Plus, for the first time in my life, I'm over weight after being prescribed omeprozole. I ĵust can't bring myself to trust them.

[-] ZenGrammy@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

I'm sorry you had trouble posting. It must have been a server glitch of some sort. We don't censor any words here except for some VERY bigoted ones.

It is likely that your doctor's visit and X-ray would be billed separately. This is standard because a radiologist has to read the X-ray. However, it is strange that you would get a bill that can't be followed up on by calling the number associated with the company listed on the bill. It's worth calling your insurance company to make sure this isn't a scam of some sort if you have one. If you don't, you can call the original doctor's office and ask how that sort of visit would usually be billed to you. I used to be a medical biller and I saw this sort of confusion all the time. fo

[-] ChamelAjvalel@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

I’m sorry you had trouble posting. It must have been a server glitch of some sort. We don’t censor any words here except for some VERY bigoted ones.

Probably. Meh, looks like I missed one word anyway, heh.

It is likely that your doctor’s visit and X-ray would be billed separately. This is standard because a radiologist has to read the X-ray. However, it is strange that you would get a bill that can’t be followed up on by calling the number associated with the company listed on the bill. It’s worth calling your insurance company to make sure this isn’t a scam of some sort if you have one. If you don’t, you can call the original doctor’s office and ask how that sort of visit would usually be billed to you. I used to be a medical biller and I saw this sort of confusion all the time. fo

Nah, that's not it. The X-ray, or the tech as I'm pretty sure the hospital billed me separately for it as I can't see an X-ray only running $21 or $79 (To the imaging offices) and an EKG running $1400 (original cost) to the $490 (deducted cost).

Anyway, the imaging offices were the exact same company, same location, as another payment I had paid them a year prior to this one.

Also, wife just got a bill from Centura today, and yep, the bill goes to Denver...Not Cincinnati...😶

I used to be a medical biller and I saw this sort of confusion all the time. fo

Nah, it's not that confusing. Though the splitting of bills has bit me in the ass before. I like to do things piecemeal. So I'll pay more towards the smaller bills to get them out of the way before tackling the larger bills, so the last time I was doing the same thing. I had just finished paying off the smaller bills and was putting as much as I could towards the larger bill, and voila, two months later just like that, they terminated my financial aid, and sent it to collections...All for the dastardly deed of paying on my own...Oof! Yeah, it's not confusing, but it is extremely dumb, I think, with how the billing process is handled.

[-] ZenGrammy@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

That is really scucky. Did they maybe sell the debt to this other company? I can see how this is all really hard to deal with.

[-] ChamelAjvalel@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Most likely. Would explain why they stated I had to pay the full amount, but would accept a deduction (Which was still half the cost on top of the original bill), if I paid right then and there...Which by my dumb luck, I had just made enough to pay it off and have enough left over to try and get some stuff to try and make a little more money...But nope. Had to spend it all on that.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Hospitals used a simple billing firm so people could pay one bill, over multiple bills, a lot less hassle and trouble would crop up, and they wouldn't have such a great need of bill collecting services (I mean, they'd still need them, of course, but not so extensively). Nor waste so much of people's and their own time.

[-] ZenGrammy@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

The hospital I worked at would send patient's bills to a different company for collection, after a certain amount of time had passed without full payment or the patient applying for financial assistance through the hospital, and at that point it would be combined into one bill. It should still be accurate as far as what you still owe to them and what you've already paid off. Does this hospital have a financial assistance program? You could possibly get help with your bills.

[-] ChamelAjvalel@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

I did get financial aid, but I still had 3 bills. So I paid off the smaller two bills in two or three months (imaging and the doctor, about $300 or more, paying with the allowance I get from my spouse), then the third I paid what I paid on those two bills per month. I had paid about $120 before it got sent to collections, and the $400 I still owed jumped up to $750 if I paid it off (which I just got lucky and had enough money to pay it off), and would have had to pay about $900 if I would have still been broke.

[-] ZenGrammy@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Oh, sorry, you did say that. I must have missed that part. I wish it had been enough to cover the whole bill. No one should have to struggle to pay for health care. It's not fair.

[-] ChamelAjvalel@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Being fair is one thing, but being purposefully ignorant/dumb/mental is on a whole other level.

"We're going to let you pay $25 a month since you can't afford any more than that".
Ok, that equals $75 a month.
"No! We did not say that. It's $25 a month".
Um! There's three bills for this one thing, and I am paying $25 on each of those bills. Simple math, that's $75. Not $25.
"That doesn't concern us"...
What? That should concern your company. That should be very concerning to all three companies. Somebody won't be getting paid in a timely manner.
"That doesn't concern us"...
face palm.

I mean, just how is that not a cause for concern? The amount of time wasted. Hell, the sheer waste of money, for all three companies have to pay three times for data entry for financial purposes, that could be done by one group of data entry employees. Not to mention the people who need this kind of payment plans, are not going to be the most mentally/emotionally strong which can not be good for a great many people's well being...They're in healthcare for Crype's sake. They should know this..."That doesn't concern us"...Fair is one thing, but this. This...This is just bonkers, and completely nuts.

Sorry for the rant, but this really does get under my skin. If it was dealt with in a logical manner, I'd be fine. I wouldn't have too much of an issue, but claiming I'm not paying when I'm obviously paying is just baffling.

[-] ZenGrammy@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

It's fine. This is the /mentalhealth community, where it is totally fine to rant, and I can see why you're frustrated for sure. It sounds like they're really not treating you like a human being with feelings and that is not okay. Unfortunately for those companies, you can only pay what you can pay. They will have to wait until you can get it taken care of.

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this post was submitted on 28 Jul 2023

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