Recent content by cloudeleven

I posted the same question on another forum I frequent and got this answer. This is exactly one of the things I'm afraid of with insurance. :(

I called insurance before the cardiologist visit because my insurance has no charge for basic tests & x-rays but charges 30% coinsurance if it's coded as an outpatient facility visit (this cardiologist office was at a big hospital). They told me "The tests like echocardiogram should be covered...

Thanks for the replies. Felt like I was talked down to by a lot of folks, but I got some reassurance re: it's pretty unusual for people to be billed more than their annual out-of-pocket max due to denied claims, uncovered stuff (yet medically necessary), etc.

ACA was a step in the right direction, and the No Surprises Act this year was a step in the right direction. I went hunting for some more data. I'd like to be reassured by your post, but a lot (most?) of the decrease in bankruptcies after 2010 was probably due to the economy improving after the...

I called my health insurance company (Ambetter) several times earlier this year to drill them on the details, but their customer service is outsourced to India (or some other country in the region) and I could barely understand them or hear them, and they couldn't understand me sometimes. I...

Yeah, thankfully my mother has Medicare Plan F with Medigap. (That's what my 2017 post here was about Ivinsfan referenced above, trying to choose a Medicare plan for my mother). Basically my main concern is how common are situations where people wind up being billed for a lot more than their...

I sent you a PM. Appreciate your advice when you have time. Thanks :)

No, not a writer or reporter. Just someone planning for an ER in my 40s who tends to be on the anxious side and assume the "worst case scenario" (or at least "bad case scenario") about things, and then I try to plan for that.

Thanks. That helps me feel better about this, some perspective.

Thanks for the replies. Do you folks with ACA plans (or other health insurance) and 5-15+ years from Medicare ever worry about having to declare medical bankruptcy at some point? Medical bankruptcy is the #1 type of bankruptcy in America, and a lot of them (most?) had health insurance, which has...

Did you have to do prior authorizations with the insurance company yourself or did your hospital/doctors get them for you? I've always been concerned about that part...what if the doctor/hospital forgot to get prior authorization, then what? Screwed?

Did you have to do anything yourself in regards to getting "prior approval" for things that needed that for coverage? Did you have to "fight" with the hospital to get the $6,000 corrected? Or just a simple phone call?

I'm 41. Thankfully I'm currently healthy and have never had a hospital stay or expensive treatment, but I was wondering about Americans here who have and had health insurance (not Medicare, Medicaid or other govt program), especially in ACA era (since 2010). How much out of pocket did you end up...

I'm surprised we've all put up with this nightmare system for as long as we have. Some people have $10,000+ of out-of-pocket bills even with "excellent" low-deductible health insurance. This woman had $60,000+ of out of pocket bills even with health insurance, due to denied claims for necessary...

From a realistic, practical perspective, this may work for Buffett's wife who can live very comfortably the rest of her life off the 10% bond portion, but it won't work for a regular person like me who isn't an emotionless robot and is prone to anxiety problems, and who knows the 100+ year...