Health Insurance is Not Healthcare

[gshayd]

I like the Methodist Hospital in Houston. One stop shopping and they don't lollygag around. I can take care of several things in a half a day that would take a week to do here. Not to mention the hot cardiologist I saw before surgery. She was examining me and I had my Man spread on which she stepped in between while the wife was doing stuff on her cell phone. That was the rise and fall of Texas there. I have Tricare/USFHP administrated by Christus. The only thing that tears into my wallet a little is Physical Therapy. I don't know but I have been told you can negotiate prices for cash?

 

[TX OMFS]

I like the Methodist Hospital in Houston. One stop shopping and they don't lollygag around. I can take care of several things in a half a day that would take a week to do here. Not to mention the hot cardiologist I saw before surgery. She was examining me and I had my Man spread on which she stepped in between while the wife was doing stuff on her cell phone. That was the rise and fall of Texas there. I have Tricare/USFHP administrated by Christus. The only thing that tears into my wallet a little is Physical Therapy. I don't know but I have been told you can negotiate prices for cash?

Sorry I didn't see this earlier. A lot of places will negotiate for cash if they are out-of-network. If they are in-network they're not allowed to do that.

 

[karlac]

My experience with Methodist is the corporate and accounting side are dishonest SOB's.

Had to battle them over my youngest daughter's facial surgery when she was losing one eye due to giant cell granuloma a few years back.

Boiled down to the cash price she had negotiated ($9k+) for the hospital part before she was sure the insurance would cover it.

Said priced roughly tripled when the insurance company finally decided to participate, but only after Methodist canceled scheduled surgery twice, blaming it on Blue Cross Blue Shield.

They did this less than 24 hours before each scheduled surgery, and after she had made plans both times for the ten day recovery period before going back to work.

I stepped in the third time, 9AM the morning before, so the surgery could go forward and paid Methodist their demand for $25,000 with a credit card.

Then had to battle the SOB's for a refund after the insurance company paid, and after Methodist lied on their billing about it being "outpatient" surgery.

After pointing out to both the hospital and BCBS that the policy clearly defined "outpatient" as being, in part, "24 hours or less in "observation""; and Methodist's bill clearly showed 36 hours of "observation" after the surgery.

Took me almost six months to prevail, and the asshats finally refunded the full $25k, BUT, would only refund to the credit card company, which I had already paid off!

Ever try to get CASH from a credit card company? Battle on again. That took another month.

The last part is kinda funny now, but it wasn't then ...