DUmmie wants free health care again.

[thundley4]

Skip Intro   (1000+ posts)             Sat Feb-12-11 01:36 AM
Original message
I'm getting sued by hospital emergency room I went to last year.
   
I had no insurance and I thought I was having an heart attack. They did tests, gave me oxygen, tended to me, etc. I went there because I had no insurance, like millions of people. That's where you go. First time in an emergency room in decades, for myself.

Turned out it was anxiety, not a heart issue at all. (man, I felt like I was going to die)

Anyway, I was taking the trash out to the curb a couple of weeks ago, some guy pulled up, and served me with papers. The hospital is suing me in small claims court for three plus thousand dollars for that visit to the emergency room.

Yes, they sent me notices, and I don't want to sound like I'm whining, but I was laid off months ago, no insurance, and unemployment compensation to stay afloat. I couldn't pay these charges. I figured they'd be written off or something. Go to collections. Go on my once pristine credit report. But no, they're suing me.

Now the point of relating this story wasn't to whine about being out of work. Or just hanging on, I think I'll make it financially. I'm sure a good job is right around the corner, and I'll file bankruptcy to keep my house. But this health care system. I'm being sued, taken to court, having a legal judgment against me, because I got sick.

I know there are horror stories out there, and mine pales in comparison. But it just blows my mind. It just shouldn't be this way.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x401359

CaliforniaPeggy   (1000+ posts)             Sat Feb-12-11 01:41 AM
Response to Original message
1. It should not be this way, my dear Skip Intro...
   
I hope you can find a way out of this.

How dare they?

I've never heard of such a thing...

Damn them.

How dare some company want the money they are due!

Skip Intro   (1000+ posts)             Sat Feb-12-11 01:47 AM
Response to Reply #1
3. Thanks, Peggy, but there is a simple, easy way out of this.
   
Job is coming, I have no doubt.

House is secure, will remain so. I think.

This emergency room deal is like a mosquito to me. Can't get blood from a turnip.

And no matter what, they can't take my birthday, lol.

Then why even bother to post about it?  DUmmie cred?

CaliforniaPeggy   (1000+ posts)             Sat Feb-12-11 01:53 AM
Response to Reply #3
7. Hang in there!
   
And you're right...they can't take your birthday!

No, but under the socialist system of ObamaCare, they will.

pnwmom   (1000+ posts)           Sat Feb-12-11 02:13 AM
Response to Reply #3
23. You could have tried what a friend of mine did with a 5K bill.
   
She wrote the hospital a letter describing her financial circumstances and they cancelled the bill -- in full. Many hospitals have funds that they use for this purpose.

cutlassmama   (1000+ posts)           Sat Feb-12-11 03:41 AM
Response to Reply #23
59. Correct. They do and often will "forgive" it for circumstances like the OP has.
   
My bill for this past December was $100,000.00

RSillsbee (1000+ posts)           Sat Feb-12-11 01:51 AM
Response to Reply #1
4. How dare they?
   
Right! how dare they expect to actually be paid for services rendered? Don't they know that hospitals should be expected to give out care for free. Who in the hell are those damn Dr.s expecting to get paid for what they do.

Freeper Troll

CaliforniaPeggy   (1000+ posts)             Sat Feb-12-11 01:52 AM
Response to Reply #4
5. You misunderstand me.
   
Of course the hospital should be paid. I would never say otherwise. But I think it's wrong for them to sue for payment.

My dear ignorant, stooooopid Piggy, the hospital have exhausted other means of getting their money. The OP forced them to sue.

RSillsbee (1000+ posts)           Sat Feb-12-11 01:56 AM
Response to Reply #5
11. Hospitals run on a pretty tight budget
   
They may have no option but to sue

Hugabear (1000+ posts)           Sat Feb-12-11 02:21 AM
Response to Reply #11
27. Yes that's why they charge hundreds of dollars for an aspirin
   
When you go down the list of hospital charges, many of them are quite outrageous. Nobody's saying that hospitals shouldn't get paid for their services. That's a pure strawman, show me where any DUer has said that hospitals should work for free. What we need in this country is a viable single-payer system.

Once again, look to government regulations of hospitals and you'll find the cause of why many things are expensive.  Also, they have to cover the deadbeats that don't pay their bills, and the shortfalls created by MediCare and MedicAid.

Moral_Imagination (84 posts)           Sat Feb-12-11 02:32 AM
Response to Reply #27
37. Umm they charge so much
   
because of all of the scenerios when they get nothing. Yes we need single payer, but with our current system the Hospitals need money to survive and the ER can't be free. Actually it MUST be a ripoff in order to make up for the times they get no money at all.

Oooops. I need to read farther ahead.

CaliforniaPeggy   (1000+ posts)             Sat Feb-12-11 02:03 AM
Response to Reply #17
19. I see.
   
And you have seen statistically significant numbers of these people?

I'm sure folks like these exist.

I'm also sure there are abuses in the system. But your statement is quite broad-brush.

Can you back it up?

Piggy, are you trying to out stooooopid, stooooopid Beth? It sure seems like it.

Name removed (0 posts)           Sat Feb-12-11 01:59 AM
Response to Reply #9
17. Deleted message
   
Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

Name removed really pissed them off.

CaliforniaPeggy   (1000+ posts)             Sat Feb-12-11 02:03 AM
Response to Reply #17
19. I see.
   
And you have seen statistically significant numbers of these people?

I'm sure folks like these exist.

I'm also sure there are abuses in the system. But your statement is quite broad-brush.

Can you back it up?
 
Dappleganger   (1000+ posts)           Sat Feb-12-11 02:07 AM
Response to Reply #17
21. Way to blame the victim.
   
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Matariki   (1000+ posts)             Sat Feb-12-11 02:09 AM
Response to Reply #17
22. OMG did you come here from some kind of Ronald Reagan mausoleum?
   
"welfare moms"? "waited on hand and foot"? "Medicaid is payin' fo my baby"??????

And what is that last one? Let me guess, that's your caricature of the way you think black women talk? ****ing hell. Your name doesn't happen to be James O'Keefe does it?
 
Hugabear (1000+ posts)           Sat Feb-12-11 02:36 AM
Response to Reply #22
38. This one has managed to lurk around pretty well
   
But eventually these trolls just can't help themselves. The racism festers inside their tiny little brains until it eventually just comes out.

Hugabear (1000+ posts)           Sat Feb-12-11 02:23 AM
Response to Reply #17
30. "welfare moms" and "Medicaid is payin' fo my baby" - WTF?
   
Freudian racist slip?
 
Bonobo   (1000+ posts)           Sat Feb-12-11 02:26 AM
Response to Reply #17
32. Racist. nt
   
 
Codeine   (1000+ posts)           Sat Feb-12-11 02:31 AM
Response to Reply #17
35. Jesus ****. Did you really just ****ing type that?

[JohnnyReb]

Just say the magic word.....FREEEEEEEEEE

[AprilRazz]

CaliforniaPeggy   (1000+ posts)             Sat Feb-12-11 02:03 AM
Response to Reply #17
19. I see.
   
And you have seen statistically significant numbers of these people?

I'm sure folks like these exist.

I'm also sure there are abuses in the system. But your statement is quite broad-brush.

Can you back it up?

Actually my dear piggy I see it every day. A good half of the patients on my unit (large hospital with a level 3 trauma unit) are considered indigent. I know that is a big word so I will help you out a little. Indigent means that they are getting care and it will cost them nothing or they are on some sort of government handout system. You should feel good about paying $20 for a tylenol as you are helping out the poor and downtrodden.

[MrsSmith]

Let me get this straight...DUmmy goes to the ER thinking he's dying, and it turns out he was "anxious."  Then he ignores their bills and notices for a year instead of taking the simple step of responding to one, explaining his situation, and setting up a payment plan.  Our hospital routinely sets up payment plans for $25 or 50 a month, something you can swing on even a tight budget.  Then DUmmy gets all upset when the hospital doesn't just assume he can't pay and write it off?  There is a reason we call them DUmmies....

[VivisMom]

cutlassmama   (1000+ posts)           Sat Feb-12-11 03:41 AM
Response to Reply #23
59. Correct. They do and often will "forgive" it for circumstances like the OP has.
   
My bill for this past December was $100,000.00

WTF!?! I want to know what procedure she had done that cost $100,000.  I also want to know what hospital "forgave" a bill that large, so I know to avoid it so I don't get charged out the ass to cover the loss!

[Ballygrl]

All he had to do when he got the 1st bill was to go to the Hospital's Billing Office and get them to work with him to pay the bill, if he could prove he was indigent then the bill would be written off as Charity Care, if he has some finances then he would just set up a payment plan with the Hospital, even pay $50 per month until he got on his feet, but he ignored the bill so of course they would send it to collections and or file a lawsuit.

And 1 of the freaking reasons why people with insurance are paying high premiums are because of Hospitals losing money by taking care of the illegals, the poor, and middle class Americans who drive really nice cars and have all the latest high tech electronic equipment and have the attitude that I don't need insurance because the Government will pay when I get sick, well the Government are the people and those of us paying for our own insurance get screwed, hence that $20 for an Aspirin gets charged to those of us paying premium hikes.

[Traveshamockery]

WTF!?! I want to know what procedure she had done that cost $100,000.  I also want to know what hospital "forgave" a bill that large, so I know to avoid it so I don't get charged out the ass to cover the loss!

Well, I'm starting to gather up the bills for my visit to the ER last month with a broken arm with surgery and a two-day admission.  So far, we are at $70K including the surgeon's fee, x-rays, labs, anesthesia, etc.  But I have private insurance and I'm sure the hospitals try to get as much out of them as possible to make up for the deadbeats.  I doubt that is what the insurance will pay for all of those fees when all is said and done. 

I know, I know - how responsible of me to actually have my own insurance?  But if I didn't have insurance and couldn't pay my bill - I'd be contacting the hospital right away to make payments. 

Also, if the DUmmie OP had "pristine" credit before this (which I sincerely doubt because people with pristine credit tend to protect that for all it's worth), then he surely had a credit card of some sort to help pay for his visit to the hospital. 

[jukin]

So the DUmbass is unemplyed, has no assets, and wouldn't set up a payment plan.  This just maybe me but it sounds like this DUmpmonkey has added little to nothing to the body politik.  This is the person that the bureaucrat would say is not worth spending any government funds on.

[Tucker]

If you read the DUmmies OP closely, you'll notice that there were several months between the emergency and his claiming that he was laid off. In other words, he was gainfully employed when he went in the ER. He had the means to pay the bill but chose not to.

Now that his financial situation has changed, he want sympathy for his outrage.

Just another deadbeat parasite.

[thundley4]

If you read the DUmmies OP closely, you'll notice that there were several months between the emergency and his claiming that he was laid off. In other words, he was gainfully employed when he went in the ER. He had the means to pay the bill but chose not to.

Now that his financial situation has changed, he want sympathy for his outrage.

Just another deadbeat parasite.

I was wondering if he was laid off or fired for taking too much time off for panic attacks.

[diesel driver]

I was wondering if he was laid off or fired for taking too much time off for panic attacks.

Right.  He forgot to mention that his heart/panic attacks were brought on from working for a right-wing fundie nutjob that voted for GWB....TWICE!