Overcharging

[Najam]

------------------------- Followup To - I recently had a routine blood test done at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, California.   They charged $800. for it.   I complained to the hospital  staff, but it was no use.   Even though my medical insurance paid part of it, I feel it is outrageous.  What can I do ?

[Beale]

Playing "devil's advocate": If you were disputing the bill, why did you pay it?  You would probably be in a better position to have NOT paid it and let them try to get it from you, but I know people worry about hospitals ruining credit ratings of consumers, etc.

Now your only alternative might be to go to Small Claims Court which is very time consuming.

In any event, her are some consumer agencies that deal specifically with patient issues, so maybe they can assist you further:

Patient Advocate Foundationhttp://www.patientadvocate.org

The Center for Patient Advocacyhttp://www.patientadvocacy.org/

The Appeal Letter(Medical Insurance)http://www.appealsolutions.com/tal/index.htm

Also, you might want to file complaints against the hospital with the following to see if they can resolve the issue without you going to court:

California Department of Consumer Affairshttp://www.dca.ca.gov/

Better Business Bureauhttp://www.bbb.org/bbbcomplaints/Welcome.asp

Good luck to you!

[matyas]

- I need some more details to better assist you.

1.  What was the date of the test?

2.  When did you find out the total cost was $800?

3.  When did the insurance company pay a portion?

4.  When did you pay your portion?

5.  When and to what staff did you complain about the cost?

Thanks.

I don't have the papers with me right here, but 1. the approx date of service:  Sept 2004.

2. I got the bill around 2 weeks later.

3. The insurance company paid around $100. The rest was paid by me for my annual deductible.  And the insurance got a discount from the hospital - the bill was reduced  to $600.  I paid $500.  Insurance paid $100.

4. I paid my portion around one month after service.

5. I complained to customer service staff at El Camino Hospital.  This was around 1 & 1/2 month after service.