Mary, at least not having met the deductible means you've been in relative good health, right?:-)

We got the bill for the ER for me the other day: $3,770 and some change. Our deductible has now been met. :-< Since our deductibles were met so early in the previous 3-4 years, I figure we did pretty good this past year at staying healthier.:-)

HOWEVER, Rog has said he cannot even think of early retirement, next year, because we would lose his insurance. His company really tries to keep the costs down. We choose from three plans AND, this coming year, they kept the premiums to the exact same as this year. They also cover part of the employee's part, so we pay about $180 out of each bi-weekly check for coverage. If Rog didn't smoke it would be a tad cheaper. We get dental and eye exams with that, because we pay a bit more. We lucked out. Because of his employment with them, I got good care and over $120,000 spend for my heart surgery, etc.

HOWEVER, WE DO NEED NATIONAL HEALTH CARE! He shouldn't have to work longer than he wants to just to keep insurance; doctors shouldn't refuse to accept patients unless they have insurance, nor should hospitals.

I went to the ER at 930 on a Friday morning. I was there until after 4p. Rog was with me the whole time.Had loads of meds, was coughing constantly, tired from no sleep, etc., etc. Just as they were wheeling me to the door to go home, a woman stepped out of a little glassed in hole in the wall, right by the door and asked if I could come in her room for a moment. She had a clipboard and said something to me about having asked my husband and him saying she'd have to talk to me. Fair enough, I knew it was probably about payments as I handle all of that. She had a hard time getting the wheelchair into her room which was shaped like a slice of pie.

Just as she did, the O2 guy got there as i was not to go home without some in the car. They had no space where he and I could go over all of HIS forms, so she leant us her room. He was really nice, finally said to hell with the forms, got the O2 switched to the one I'd take home and left.

In came the dragon lady. She says, "Now, while the doctors have been taking care of you all day, I've been on the phone all day working with your insurance company to see what they cover." THEN she started going over what we'd paid so far in deductibles, co-pays, etc. By now I thought I was in some surreal Woody Allen movie and was looking around for my brother, who by then had come to work there, and Rog to take me home. She kept rattling on then got my attention by finishing up with "so the hospital would like a $200 deposit at this time."

I wish I could've seen the reaction on my face. I was shocked, then laughed. I looked at her and said, "I've been in bed for weeks, been here all day, have pneumonia, and need to get home and you're asking me for a deposit? I haven't balanced the checkbook in over two weeks and don't even have it with me right now and I am NOT using a credit card, which I don't have with me, either! Presumably you will send me a bill?" (I didn't have the energy or strength to get into how good our insurance is and how I was sure they'd take care of most of it! Or, how we just dodged the doc thinking i needed to stay at least overnight!)

"Oh, yes," she replied.

"Good, then I will set up payments when I get it. I already make payments so can just add it on to that agreement."

I guess I got the message across, even though she muttered a few more times about a deposit, even dropping it to $50, because she finally let me out.

My brother told me a couple of weeks later she was let go as her "technique" just didn't mesh with the hospital's mission to be compassionate, etc. (It has a good rep. for being good to work with. I pay them $50 per month on a $13,000 debt from the first time I went in before we had insurance.)

It was an unreal end to a very weird day!

Sorry for going on. I knew I had to tell the story, just hadn't found a spot for it 'til now.

luvyakat