| Did you know you can negotiate the medical bill you | | | | She had power. |
| receive from a hospital? | | | | The power to negotiate bills. |
| It's true. | | | | We locked horns. |
| A year or so ago I was in immense pain. My lower | | | | She was good. |
| back hurt and then the pain spread to my groin. | | | | So was I. |
| It was unbelievable pain. So bad I couldn't drive. I asked | | | | I'm sure you can imagine the conversation. |
| my daughters to call their mom, my ex-wife, to get a | | | | It was intense. She was fighting for the hospital, me for |
| ride to emergency. | | | | my checkbook. |
| On the drive I heaved my guts out into a bowl in her | | | | One phrase that I kept repeating to her was, "I want to |
| car. Once there I continued heaving through the check | | | | pay you something; you did help me, but I want to pay |
| in procedure. | | | | you a fair market value for services received." |
| I have a doctor, but no health insurance. | | | | I mentioned the technician, the stay in the corridor. |
| They got my address etc. and then put me on a | | | | She mentioned all kinds of time payment plans, |
| gurney in a corridor. | | | | programs, and forms I could fill out. |
| There I lay, moaning and groaning for an hour. | | | | Not my style. |
| Nothing happened. | | | | Finally she said the words I was waiting to hear. |
| No care, except for my ex-wife, bless her heart. | | | | "What exactly did you have in mind?" |
| Then the doctor appeared looking at a clipboard, told | | | | "A thousand bucks," I replied. |
| me he suspected it was a kidney stone, but wanted to | | | | She scoffed. |
| do tests. A technician wheeled me away, told me I | | | | The room was hot. |
| should stop moaning, and when we arrived at the | | | | We were dead-locked. |
| room where the tests would be done told me to "get | | | | We both took a breath. |
| off the gurney," and then did a CAT scan. I remember | | | | "What's the best you can do?" I asked realizing she |
| telling him he should say "please. " He replied, "oh, yes, | | | | would have to answer to her superiors. |
| please," but he laughed when he said it. | | | | She tapped on her electric adding machine. |
| An hour later they read the scan, saw the stone, and | | | | "$2300," she replied. "We have our bills to pay too." |
| hooked me up to an IV and started the pain killer | | | | I sensed she was growing weary, at the end of her |
| cruising through my veins. Twenty minutes later I was | | | | rope. We'd been at it for fifteen or twenty minutes. |
| better. | | | | "Okay, I said, make it $2000 and you have a deal. I |
| "Stone got lodged going around a corner," said the kind | | | | reached for my wallet to make my point. |
| doctor. "Should pass within twenty-four hours." | | | | She hit the buttons on the adding machine again. It |
| A little later we left. | | | | clicked out a white cash register size receipt. |
| My total stay in emergency was between three or | | | | I held the credit card in front of her. |
| four hours. | | | | Visa. Platinum. |
| Then the bill arrived a month later. | | | | She glanced at the card, back at the adding machine, |
| $6000. | | | | thought a moment, then smiled at me. |
| There were no details of what constituted the | | | | "I'll draw up the paper work," she said ripping the ticker |
| expenses, just the bill. | | | | tape out of the adding machine and taking the card |
| "We don't itemize anymore" said one hospital | | | | from my outstretched hand. |
| administrator I spoke with, "but if you pay the bill off | | | | Still, I wasn't completely satisfied. I wish I had gone |
| within 14 days of receiving it we'll give you a 40% | | | | longer, offered to split the difference between my |
| discount. That's what the insurance companies pay." | | | | $1000 and her $2300, but something told me that was |
| So now we were down to $3600. | | | | as far as we were going to get. |
| That's $900 an hour for my stay at emergency. | | | | I had received a 66% discount on my bill. |
| But I thought I might be able to do better. I wanted to | | | | I haven't had health insurance since 1999, so that would |
| pay them something for their services, but I wanted to | | | | have been six years of no premiums, which for me |
| pay a fair market value. | | | | would be $800 a month, or $48,000 for six years. |
| "I want to negotiate," I said. | | | | (Because I have a pre-existing condition, Graves |
| "I can't do that," she replied. | | | | Disease, insurance companies don't want to cover me |
| "Who can?" I asked. | | | | unless they can charge these high premiums). If I |
| She fidgeted, and gave me a name and a title. | | | | calculate my $2000 bill, divide it by six years I arrive at |
| The next day I met with the name and title. | | | | $333. per year, or $27.75 a month. |