The Money Thread

[chuparosa]

I just cancelled my ablation which was scheduled for January 20th. I am not sure I will be able to cover the cost of the procedure. I just got the bill for my ep study and it was three thousand dollars. Since my ablation would be a difficult one, I expect the cost to be at least twice as much as my ep study and I just can't cover all of that right now. I'm hoping the economy recovers soon so my clients will increase (I'm a freelancer) and I can move forward with the ablation. I'm feeling very bummed out.

[Jerry_NJ]

I'm not an expert on medical insurance, but I do believe most have some up front deductibles that have to be paid before the coverage really "kicks in".  That's true for my insurance - here I'm talking about my private insurance, not Medicare - ya I'm an old guy who is about to have a lot less coverage from Medicare - the way it looks.  Anyway, once my deductibles are paid my coverage goes up, especially if I am "in network"... be sure you understand any such requirements before booking any big cost items.
In-network, that was one of the factors I took into consideration when I selected a surgeon to do my heart valve repair.  Talk about some big bills! Happily my part was manageable.

[chuparosa]

Thanks for the great advice but I actually have insurance with Freelancers Union, which is pricey but I am very grateful to have. They did cover some of the costs of my ep study. The three thousand was my responsibility. It's amazing how much you still have to pay even with insurance. I did call the insurance company to ask about how much the procedure would cost and they could not tell me. And I was expecting to have my ablation during the ep study but as it turned out I need to go to different hospital for the ablation because my condition was more serious than my doctor had expected. I have atrial flutter and need a trans septal ablation. I planned on one hospital visit but ended up needing two.

[Jerry_NJ]

Sorry to read you have to face the high cost directly - I know the costs can be high.  In fact one of the benefits of insurance is they negotiate rates (like a hotel discount on the "rack rate") that are lower.  I'm not sure it can be done, but I think it worth a try to discuss with doctors billing office if it is possible to get some relief on the rate to be more like what an insurance company pays.  I'd guess they must have some flexibility on amount and payment arrangements.

I have had employer provided health insurance for many years, and for most of those years, happily, my claim history averaged very low, suppose under $200 for some years.  But since I developed heart problems, the insurance has paid back those good years for them.

You didn't say what type of condition you need an ablation for.  Be sure your doctor(s) agree that you risk from a delay is not high.

[cindy707]

Man i hate it when that happens to us.  So not fair especially when we need something done.  Okay this is what i found out before mine because i was in the same situation.  I couldn't find an insurance co. to insure me without it costing me over a 1,000 a month because i had a pre existing illness....i too was super upset because no one wanted to insure me...then out of the blue a friend that owns a business approached me who has a group insurance plan for his co. and asked me if i wanted to work for them for awhile so i could go on their group plan (on group plans nobody can be refused insurance) i did it and it def was the answer because i got insurance a couple of days later and the ablation a couple of weeks later.  Funny how that is because i ended up working for that co. for quite a while after because i too worked for myself at the time.  I just wanted to be sure i wasn't committing ins. fraud or a crime and was told after that no i wasn't because i did tech. work there ..........just an idea......