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3rd Trimester
Insurance Issues and just found out at 33weeks...almost in tears.
So last year I had awesome insurance, $25.00 co-pay for my intial OB appointment, 100% covered after that. I only had a $250.00 per day deductible up to $1000.00. No big deal, thought we were getting off pretty good. So, the first of the year our company changes our plan due to the economy and now I have a $1000.00 deductible with 20% co-insurance up to a $2500.00 out of pocket maximum. So I am thinking $3500.00 will be the most I pay for delivery and that we would be able to work out a payment plan with the hospital and pay it over the course of a couple of months in the event that we don't recent out tax refund.
Well now, I get a call from my OB that since my plan changed on 01/01/2010 that I have to pay the 20% for thier charge before they will see me again...which in 1 week. So, I have to come up with $460.00 within 7 days or I don't have an OB and they won't see me. I am stressed...not that $460.00 is terribly difficult to come up with but 7 days isn't a lot of time to work with...I am stressing and almost in tears...DH is going to lose it!
Is this typical with OB's to request thier charge to be paid before delivery?
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Re: Insurance Issues and just found out at 33weeks...almost in tears.
Mine I pay at the end ($500 lump sum) and I know people who have paid it all upfront or in installments
WOW! I would cry too! ...that SUCKS.
...and no, I have not heard of a dr demanding payment like that.
It is normal. I paid mine in one lump sum because it was just easier, but when my OB's office sent the letter they had it set up for 4 payments...$100 something each month.
Now the difference with mine is that it was from the time I was about 24 weeks and would have been completely paid well before my due date. I could see with your situation that they wouldn't be able to take 4 months, but they should still give you some sort of option of payment plan...divided into 2 payments, paid once a month, or 3 payments made every 2 weeks...if I were you I'd call them back and ask about that.
Good luck
WOW! That is so nice of your government to pay for your medical without asking for anything like taxes in return! I've never heard of 100% government funded health care before.
To the OP: I'm sorry you're going through this. I cry on a weekly basis over how much this is (unexpectedly) costing us.
Well I feel better knowing that this is typical. With my DD, I didn't have to worry about it and didn't at the beginning of this pregnancy so now it's all hitting me at once. I guess I am jsut concerned that this $460.00 is going to get lost in the shuffle and that it won't be applied to my out of pocket maximum.
Also, on a side note, my OB won't do a payment plan since I am 33 weeks. They would've done a payment plan from the beginning up to 28 weeks. What hurt me is that my insurance changed during my pregnancy...URGH!
We had to pay ours (554.00) by the fifth month of pregnancy. They set up monthly payments for you if needed. Our insurance (up until January, Thank goodness) had a 6000.00 deductible which would have carried over in January, which would have meant even though we had "insurance" everything would have been out of pocket at the end of the day. Luckily we were able to switch in December. Still sucks!
The one thing about your situation that I am not sure about is how they could deny you as a patient at 33 weeks... Where I am, that's illegal and as long as you are making a monthly payment (even if it is 10.00) they cannot deny you service.
Good luck!
You've got 2 months left. I would still ask if you could divide it into 2 payments...pay one by Friday and then do the other 4 weeks later, and you'd still have plenty of time. Hopefully they won't be asses about it. I mean...it's circumstances. It's not like you were hiding something from them, this was sprung on you too!
I LOVE this! We are just going to pay it and be done, but I tell you what, I'd liek to have spent that $460.00 on somethng else....that's for sure!
I am an American living in Canada, and yes we pay a ton of taxes, but we are taken care of so much better up here. If I get sick, I am taken care of, no questions asked. Same for everyone- if you are sick, you need the hospital, you have a baby, etc-it is covered. I'd much rather my taxes go toward something I can actually use instead of paying taxes and seeing nothing from it. I love being American, but wish for so many things for my country to improve on, healthcare being one of them.
To the OP: I am from Orlando, and 3 of my friends there had kids in the past year. All had the same situation as you- had to pay in full before due date.
We had to pay the OB's fee (deductible + the 10% not covered) before 28 weeks, but they did it in four installments so I owe nothing at this point. I also picked up secondary insurance that covers the extra 10% OOP for the hospital otherwise we would have owed another 600+ to the hospital before delivery.
The EXACT same thing happened with my insurance this year as well.
What sucks is my OB charges for all the office appts after the baby is born, so I'll have a hospital bill (which was $20K with DS) and an office visit bill ($3600 with DS) come May. I am responsible for 20% of that (after my deductible) up until my out of pocket max (I think around $3000). Once you hit that, everything is covered 100%.
For me, the light at the end of that tunnel is that I plan to have an IUD placed (Mirena) at 6 weeks pp and it will be covered 100% since I'll have already met my out of pocket max.
As for the paying up front, I haven't run into that. I'm guessing its a policy that your doctor's office has?
GL hun!! You're not alone!
Zachary Ryan - 1/13/08 - 6lbs 15oz, 20.5 inches
Lilia Rose - 5/11/10 - 8lbs 6oz, 21 inches
I was just being sarcastic. I hate the term "free" when talking about healthcare in another country because it's not "free". Free would imply that you're getting something for nothing when in fact like you said, your taxes go to help pay for healthcare. There's nothing wrong with taxes helping to fund healthcare but to say it's free...that is not accurate. Perhaps the person getting the care is jobless or (like in the United States) gets more money back in tax returns than they paid into the system but someone is paying for it.