A Rumbling…
Posted by Advocate Aaron on April 24, 2009 · Leave a Comment
As despicable as medical overcharges are, it is good to know that not all of the media has chosen to ignore the pervasiveness of the problem. More and more journalists are taking notice, and more and more media outlets are printing stories the bring the truth to light. Let’s hope these are the early rumblings of a much-larger effort to secure the rights of medical patients nationwide, including pregnant women and their children.
One such article, posted at MSN here (http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Insurance/Insureyourhealth/P74840.asp), reports estimations that Americans are pilfered out of $10 billion annually by the medical industry. Fraudulent charges, overcharges, erroneous charges – they add up to a lot of money. And they come in surprising ways: newborn blood tests for a man undergoing hip replacement; or $129 for a “mucous recovery system” — Kleenex to the lay man.
These infractions are outrageous and there’s little accountability for hospital administrators who facilitate fraud. They devise plans to discourage dispute, encode cryptic medical bills, demand up front payments or payment before discharge and other tactics designed to make you pay their price, carte blanche.
You wouldn’t go to a car dealer, hand over a blank check and tell them to give you whatever they think is best, would you? But that’s what hospitals expect you to do. You don’t get what you pay for – you get far less than you pay for. In fact, it is estimated that the average hospital stay results in overcharges of $1,300!
The MSN article lists ten ways to prevent hospital overcharges. Much of it has to do with demanding itemized billing, filing disputes, speaking with administrators, and generally jumping through hoops. Resources specific to helping pregnant women receive fair medical billing, handle disputes and hold hospitals accountable for overcharges are available at http://www.maternityhealth.org/ and http://www.maternityadvantage.com/.
SBut some people are finally taking notice, but not yet enough. The more mainstream media reports on such atrocities, the more likely decision makers are to hear our cry. The rumble is low now, but it’s getting louder. We will be heard, and we will get fair medical coverage, care and billing for pregnant women!
