COMMENTS
Tampa General emergency room bill for one x ray and CT scan: $13, 270. Someone PLEASE tell me this is a billing error.
Jennifer,
Keep in mind that the bill probably shows "charges" which are not what insurance companies pay for the exams. They pay much (much) lower amounts. You can try to negotiate with the hospital for a lower bill.
Unfortunately your story is not unusual, especially for uninsured patients...
More clarification on my issue:
Director of billing broke down the charges for me. Evidently my ONE, hear me, ONE 10 minute CT scan was actually THREE! (??)
1. $3,121 "basic?" CT scan
2. $3,934 spine
3. $2,783 head
PLUS...
an additional $896.00 dollars tacked on to EACH of these for some "state of the art precision laser" BS. This adds yet another $2,700 to the bill.
I am absolutely OUTRAGED by this. The billing supervisor said these charges are accurate But how do I determine what is reasonable?? I have no idea how to determine WHAT IS A REASONABLE FEE FOR THESE TESTS???
ps. My fingers are crossed that my insurance will fully cover the ER visit with just a $100.00 copay.
Manhattan, Kansas. If I have any kind of insurance, even catastrophic, and pay cash for my pelvic ct scan it costs about $900. If I have no insurance, the price is $2500. Really, this should be illegal.
You are being charged what the service provider believes the market can bear. Given the cost of purchasing and operating the machine versus the revenues it produces, most people would not consider the prices you were charged to be reasonable, particularly in an emergency situation where there is no real opportunity to shop around or discussion of what the charges would be. My personal view is that what you were charged is immoral and that until service receivers protest the gross unfairness there will be no incentive to change.
Outragious. I had a CT scan for what the Dr. belived to be diverticulitis but wanted to eliminate raptured appendix. Not appnd but got the bill for the CT and it was $7900.00 at the hospital. Like ya'll, it's gotta be a mistake. Insured but limited.
Got a bill for over $7500.00 for a scan at Middlesex hospital vs $750.00 at Hartford hospital, same scan, go figure.
I had a similar example of outragous CD Scann cost. On 11/3/09 I had ONE scan of my abdomen WITHOUT contrast to locate kidney stones. It took less than 3 minutes to setup the machine. Cost of the scan was $5824.00!!! And this is with Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance coverage.
This was doen at Centennial medical Center in Nashville, TN. Next time, I will shop around and NOT go to where my doctor orders. It might take longer, but when it isn't an emergency, I don't need the soaking.
Went to ER for possible appendicitis and then the ER surgeon ordered a CT scan my IV clogged numerous times they finish the scans but then the contrast started to flow after they finally got the machine off and me of the test was positive for acute appendicitis and the bill was over $5000 just for the scan. This was one of the top hospitals in my state.
Had a CAT scan done at Binghamton General Hospital (Binghamton, NY) 1 pelvis, 1 abdomen, a NYS Surcharge (I <3 NY, please don't ever move here for any reason)... $4,282.72 no insurance.
I was admitted to MIHS after a motorcycle acciddent and on top of all the other outrageous charges i also have a bill for $30,000 in CT scans.
Write your congressman. This is why we need some kind of healthcare legislation...even with insurance.
Think the cost of your CT scan is too high? Don't pay the bill until they get the price down to earth. Shop around and get an idea of what a reasonable price is. In California and probably other states if a contractor fails to tell you up front what something costs, you are only obligated to pay a reasonable fee. Consult an attorney to be sure--it could save you thousands!
CT Scan bill for face and neck looking for abnormal masses found nothing was in the facility here in Georgia less than 1 hr Got the bill $7,984.54 disputed the bill with BC/BS was told thats what it is my end $2054.17 thats with ins. what a joke how does a normal working class person pay such a bill without going bankrupt?how do I handle this bill what do I do? any advise is appreciated
WELL I WENT TO THE DOCTORS WITH A HEADACHE THAT WAS JUST PAINFUL AND RADIATED THROUGH MY JAW AND TEMPLE. THEY ORDERED A CT SCAN ON MY HEAD. I EVEN ASKED COULD THIS JUST BE TMJ? GOT THE SCAN ANYWAY. AND LETS SEE WHAT WERE THE RESULTS? I HAD TMJ. AND IM WAITING ON THE BILL WHICH SHOULD BE OUTRAGEOUS. AND I EVEN DIAGNOSED MYSELF.
around about is the price of a mri of the left knee only.if anyone can give me an idea. i live in greenville, s.c. thanks this is out of pocket cost
Angie,
Click on "Home" above and you can look up prices for a knee MRI in your area.
You all should go to (remakehealth.com),
they list thousands of facilities around the country for different tests, and their cheap. (ie. ct abdomen scan $260.Fl.)
If we continue to act like sheep and not protest loudly and often to the hospitals and politicians, we will all continue to be bled to death, because with or without health insurance, make no mistake we are ALL paying for these obscene scenarios. I went to the ER for severe pain between my shoulder blades - 6 hrs. total in the ER - one xray and one cat scan and one IV and Dr. chat - cost over $12,000. Turned out to be gallstones.
CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis from St Lukes in The Woodlands, TX ER $6,205. Unbelievable!
Why would a hospital need to do a CT scan of the abdomen AND of the pelvis, isn't that the same general area?? This seems like a total scam to me. They have yet to produce the images. Supposedly the scans were done to locate a kidney stone. Does this sound reasonable? Total cost over $8,000!! Done in the ER at Memorial Herman in Sugarland, TX. Is there a medical doctor out there that could validate having two scans done in the same general area? Not to mention we had already told the ER that it was a kidney stone. Should I fight this bill?? Not to mention the er doc referred us to a no good doctor that botched up the first surgery and then said, "oh well, guess we have to try again!" and charge another $7,000!
Why are the numbers everyone is posting on here soooo much different from the prices quoted in the link above? My bill is 5x what it says should be the average for my state!
I had an MRI and an X-ray of my lumbar region. Now I have to have a CatScan. Why did they not give me a CT first if eventually I have to have a CT. Are they just trying to make more money? I have a severe spinal stenosis and they want to see if it is caused by arthritis or a tumor is growing. I have had Multiple Myeloma. I have pain in my lower back,in my buttocks and down my legs.
CT scan, MRI and xrays may cost alot are of great help. my brother had an accident year 2002 and had severe pain on his right leg. there was no wound on that part only bruses. after the xray result we found out there was a bone fracture. thus it was taken care early. thanks to the radiation technology. now, due to the accident he's having minor TMJ disorder and we're taking home treatment for that.
I pay $170 a week for our family health coverage (almost a third of my gross income). My 16 year old daughter recently started complaining about abdominal pain, loss of appetite and a 9 lb weight gain in 5 weeks. We took her to the family doctor who ordered blood work and an abdominal and pelvic CT scan with contrast. We live in a county of 23000 people with only 1 hospital and no radiology places. I discovered that my insurance does not cover any of the cost of this test; it only goes towards her $5000 deductible. The cost of these two tests: $3708. Additionally, only one of her blood tests was covered and the ultrasound they are going to use to follow up on the ovarian cyst will also not be covered because she is not pregnant. So much for Christmas....
The insanity of prices and the reality of what people need dont gel. Their is enough money going around that if Obama is called a socialist, oh well if that means more people can get better treatment. It seems to me even though im a lame layman the best place to start for a cancer cure is routine CT scans availible to find any problems early, like a colonoscopy does. Yet why do i think this cure for cancer would meet with opposition? Money and greed.
Today I went to Radiology at a local Hospital in Salt Lake City. My Doctor ordered a CT and pelvic scan without asking me if I could afford such luxury... Well, when I got to my appointment, I asked how much will this cost me. Low and behold a whooping $4000.00. They asked they I pay half of the bill up front. I was shocked! I got the forms from the admitting clerk and told her to cancel my appointment. I could only imagine how frustrated I would feel if I had paid for this scan, and they found nothing. I figure that there has to be another way. This is outrageous!!! We as consumers need to speak out. A lot of us folks can even barely afford to pay our health insurance. This whole health care system is very broken.... Fact is I have been feeling pretty good the past few days, maybe just something I ate.
I had a CT scan to rule out any kidney problem. The bill shows
drug detail - $300, ct scan/body $7128, ct scan - $787 for a total bill of $8215.00 BCBS denied $5413.93, paid $2240.86, my bill $560.21. My monthly insurance payment is $384.59. I'm still fighting with University Hospital on the ridiculous charges and paying $15/mo.
I had an abdominal and pelvic CT scan with contrast at North Florida Regional Medical Ctr. in Gainesville FL last month.
The bill came to $16385.00!!!
I checked w. the hospital right away thinking this was coded wrong. They said the amount is correct!
Of all postings I have seen so far, this charge is by far the most outrageous; I am trying to contact administration execs to get this corrected.
Dear Bob Bear,
The person who posted the link
remakehealth.com
Thank you YOU ARE AN ANGEL
My husband just went and got his CT scan with abdominal constrast and it only cost $530 instead of $3000-$10000. Everything is normal thank God, and we did not have to sacrifice our life savings to have peace of mind.
www.remakehealth.com is the place to go, they ROCK!!!!
$7,160.00 for a MRI at Skyline medical outpatient clinic done in Jan 2011. Outrageous I talked to them till I was blue in the face and finally just paid my 20%. This will never happen to me again I will be getting price quotes for any nonemergency medical work. It is too late after they run it through the insurance company. The health insurers and medical community are in bed together. The Health care system is so broken that it needs to be completely destroyed and rebuilt. From reading the other posts here I can see that I am not alone in my thinking on that.
I went to the ER at NW Medical Center in Bentonville, AR for what turned out to be a bowel obstruction. This was in early March 2011. I was charged a whopping $7000.00 with contrast for an abdominal CT that lasted less than 2 minutes. My total ER visit was over 12,000.00. No insurance here. This is totally obsurd. I was in the ER about 4 hours.
Nancy,
Your bill is the full charged amount. Most insurance companies pay only a 1/3 of that (or even less). Most CT scans of the abdomen and pelvis cost about $800 if you paid cash at an outpatient center.
Stumbled upon this forum by accident. I live in Europe and work in hospital in a Radiology department. Read most of the posts in general conclusion is that ur goverment and Insurance companies are robbing u of ur hard earned money.
I will give u some examples of prices in Europe, they vary a bit but not much. Ct head scan is like 100€, mri of knee is 250€, 3-4 phase abdoemen pelvis ct with dye is 400€. Mri of brain with dye is 350€ (dye only costs 110€). ANd this is all covered in the insuranance we all have. U dont need to pay anything as the goverment pays. We pay few persents of our monthly wage but its fixed ammount and its like small. FOr instance robotic surgery of prostate cancer is i think 3000€.
Prices in USA are overinflated and companies are getting richer by the day.
SO its propably better to fly to europe and have surgery and radiological exams here and fla back and all for more then half price.
Is someone needs some specific info lemme know i will try to find informations u need.
Cheers
this isnt unusual in this field. You MUST shop around if you have insurance and if you dont, offer to pay a minimum of 15-50 per month. If you have no assests, then just dont pay. The hospital charges the HIGH price so it can charge off that much against other revenue. So it is all negotiable.
My weekend in St.Dominics hospital in Jackson Ms was 3500 for an MRI, CAT scan, neck scan and full xray work up, so it may be good to check with them if you are close.
I live in Hong Kong and I am an American. I started surfing this site as I keep a BC/BS policy in America and they suddenly cut the coverage and raised the price dramatically and the staff on the phone blamed Obama and said all their policys have to be dropped and then re-covered.
Here in Hong Kong we can go to the local hospitol and see a Dr for free or very little cost. The cost would be around US$13.00.. read it again... just over 10 bucks.
The care is adequate, but not beautiful. It is a factory but the job gets done, staff speak English, and you get medicine and spend time with trained physicians, many of whom were educated in US.
I left American 19 years ago and settled here and I would not want to have say, cutting edge cancer therapy here, but when the other option is a huge loss of retirement savings with what are corperate scams on the public, I probably would go ahead and do it.
Some price comparisions. It costs $120 USD to see a western UK physician in a private office call, $65 for a western style phsio appointment, $36 USD to see a western educated local DR private care usually includes medication like antibiotics, cough syrup. If you want to go to the governement health, pretty much no matter what you have done, just over 10 bucks/day. That includes, have a baby, treat Lupus, Cancer, etc
I am very unsure American is a good place to live any longer with regards to this severe crisis.
I have visited Bumrumgrad hosptol in Thailand and it is really nice and reasonable price, check it out on their web site. All were good Dr's educated overseas and one found a condition I had that was not noticed anywhere else. I would avoid purchase of medications at the hospitol as they were expensive and instead ask for Rx and get them filled in another location.
I also buy perscriptions here for about 1/3 the cost of US prices and I am quite unsure why. I found that most of the drugs are made in China and it could be transportation costs or just simply marketing.
I will give you all the same advice. this has always worked for me. The hospitals are HOPING you will pay the full bill. Negotiate with them. Do not pay a thing until you have a signed payment agreement in hand. Save some money up and make them an offer. Your bill is $6000? Tell them you will pay $700 because you have shopped around and found that is the average price of your scan. Tell them you will pay them right then and there as long as they provide an agreement to the price. It works. Be aggressive and not passive and you will get a fair bill.
Took my son to a Ft Walton Beach hospital last month. We hav blue cross insurance that paid most of the bill, but 16,245. For a er visit and ct of abd. Pelvis? Really???,
San Antonio Hospital, in Rancho cucamonga, ca... CT Scan of abdomen and pelvis, without contrast 6,453.00 It was an energency room visit so I didnt have time to shop around. Nevertheless, this is crazy! =(
The hospitals charge (gouge) individual patients for several times what they charge insurance companies or other sophisticated customers who have knowledge and clout. What the hospitals are doing is blatantly illegal and in violation of many federal and state-level laws, since they are charging different customers different prices.
I hit my head about a week ago and was considering getting a CT scan, but that is totally out of the question now. Hopefully I do not die.
I really am thankful for all of this info that has been posted!