Lost damn mind, cost $32,322 not quoted $5,500

Nov 30, 2009

So I pre-paid for my surgery, the panniculectomy.  I paid for a two day stay in the hospital.  I was in for two days, Thursday was surgery day and I left Saturday morning.  So I had a room from Thursday afternoon to Saturday morning which was less than 48 hours.  I had a quote form the surgeon for $5,500 and that included two days in the hospital, 2.5 hours of OR time, the anesthesiologist, and everything like that.  I even opted for staples not sutures because it takes so much less time in the OR to staple instead of all those sutures.  It cut the time down about 45 minutes to an hour and I do not care about having a scar line.

I had a hernia as well once they got in and they repair it.  It was a large hernia and they used some sort of mesh to repair it.
Because I had a hernia the insurance will cover some things.  From my understanding they run a clock so to speak for each procedure.  So if they spent 45 minutes on the hernia repair and 1:15 minutes on the panniculectomy then the insurance would cover 45 minutes of OR time and 45 minutes of the anesthesiologist and 45 minutes for this that or the other.

I just got off the phone with the gal at the surgeon's office, she said the insurance company pays 10 cents on the dollar and I might not get any of my $5,500 back.  They told me I would if I had a hernia and now they are back tracking.  I am going to hold them to it though.  I will not take this laying down.  I will demand to get some of my money back if the insurance is going to cover some of the things that I pre-paid.  Why should they get paid twice.

-Jaime

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