Upcoming hysterectomy 1/9: Cost of procedure

The cost of mine (my hospital bills hospital, OR, recovery, anesthesia and room, lab and pathology all in one) my bill was $47,585.37 after insurance adjustments and discounts I owed my max out of pocket $6100. We make payments. I had to have this surgery. It will work out and we only paid $200 up front.

It looks like they want 5k up front. I am stressing more about the finances than the surgery. That does not include anesthesia, meds, etc. We will basically have to choose between medical costs and phone/electric and heating bills. I understand medical procedures are expensive, but why can't they accept what insurance pays and bill is maybe 1 or 2 thousand altogether ? Is medical care only for the wealthy ? We have insurance, which comes out of our pay. I am so very worried about thais that I may sign myself out of the hospital early, to cut costs. We just don't have 5 k laying around.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Theatre It looks like they want 5k up front. I am stressing more about the finances than the surgery. That does not include anesthesia, meds, etc. We will basically have to choose between medical costs and phone/electric and heating bills. I understand medical procedures are expensive, but why can't they accept what insurance pays and bill is maybe 1 or 2 thousand altogether ? Is medical care only for the wealthy ? We have insurance, which comes out of our pay. I am so very worried about thais that I may sign myself out of the hospital early, to cut costs. We just don't have 5 k laying around.

I'm sorry you are stressing. I was too. I got a letter with directions on where to go the morning of surgery. In the letter it said please bring the amount of your deductible. (Mine was 5k). However when we got there I only paid a fraction of that down and made payment arrangements for the rest. Most hospitals make it sound like you "have" to have lots up front but they will tAke a lot less. Call the financial office and see what you can do. I'll say an extra prayer for you and hope it works out.

Thank you so much for your reply and prayers. I don't know why I'm so craze about this financial issue. I made myself sound almost destitute. I'm not. It will work out. Some people have it so much worse than me. I am going to start counting my blessings.

Do you have a 401(k) plan to which you've made elective contributions? If so, you *may* be eligible for a hardship distribution. https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans...-distributions

Thanks !

I've never heard of a hospital asking for payment upfront like that. I've had other kinds of surgery, and I didn't experience that. Is this becoming a common practice?

OP, speak with the financial office, regardless. When I've done this in the past, I've received pretty good discounts. I usually paid in full at that time. But in one case they cut my bill in half. Other times, with other hospitals, I've submitted financial information and received a discount and payment plan. At some hospitals, you don't have to meet the federal poverty level to receive discounts. Good luck!