Finally had the doctor’s office call me back. She’s saying I can’t do the surgery tomorrow because they need to see me pre-op. No shit, that’s why I’ve been calling since I was discharged Monday. She says the office visit for the pre-op is $140. Fine, no problem. But then she says they need $2,000 UP FRONT for the surgery.
I told her I work part time. I don’t have that kind of money. I told her the Doctor was willing to do it right then in the ER at 3am but I thought it made more sense to wait since he was yawning, I was exhausted and hadn’t had a moment to even process anything. He wanted to get it done ASAP and since his normal OR day is Wednesday, it made more sense to wait.
I broke down crying. I explained he came from home to consult with me. That this isn’t a joke, that this is my life and this is urgent. She said she’d try to talk to the doctor but pre-pay is their policy. Now I’m waiting to hear back again.
What am I going to do??? How do I come up with $2,000 in days so I can get the surgery next week??? As it is, waiting sucks because I feel like I’m just barely holding it together with the painkillers but there’s real worry about my ovary and the state of the cysts and the sheer size of the fibroids. I’m even more scared now. And I don’t know what to do.
Update: 4:12pm
Got off the phone with the office again. Lady didn’t even know what I was having done. She kept saying I was having an ovary removed. I’m like what the hell good would THAT do?? I explained to her what was wrong with me and what we were supposed to be doing. She just had no clue. So I went ahead and just made an appointment for Thursday @ 2:30pm. This gets me face-to-face with the Doctor again so I can talk to HIM. See if I can figure out SOMETHING in terms of getting this taken care of. So we’re kinda on hold I guess until Thursday. Meanwhile, I am most likely still going to need anywhere from $1k-$2k just to get the surgery done which I have no fucking clue where it’s supposed to come from. I hate to do this but I’m going to put up a donation link out of sheer desperation.
Fuck, go back to the ER! The ER does NOT require an up front payment for an emergency op!!
This is just the surgeon fee, not the hospital or the anesthesiologist. They’re saying that that fee has to be paid up front no matter what and that’s their policy. I made an appointment Thursday @ 2:30pm just so I can get face-to-face with the doctor again. The lady was also telling me I’m not having a hysterectomy but just removing an ovary. Uh, no, that doesn’t even make sense!!! So I just need to see the doctor, get things straight and figure it out I guess from there. This is just SO FRUSTRATING!!!
Hi again – I’m not trying to make things worse for you, but perhaps more information is better? In my case I had an uncomplicated surgery with an overnight stay in the hospital. The total bill for the hospital, surgeon, labs, and anesthesiologist was around $30,000.00 – I had insurance and my out-of-pocket cost for the whole thing was around $3,000.00 (and I’m not wealthy either; I ended up selling my car to pay the bill). I know you and your boyfriend have been together for a very long time and it is absolutely none of my business regarding why you are or are not married – but you have mentioned that he has medical insurance with his job. Have you considered getting married so that you can be on his insurance plan? If you had medical insurance that would eliminate the upfront payment the doctor’s office is requesting. A quick marriage at the local city hall, get you added to your boyfriend’s insurance plan, and then get in and get your surgery done. I’m seriously not trying to be a bitch or give you more stress – just a suggestion. Good luck.
Kathryn
We did think about that. Two problems. One, I’m not sure we can get me on his insurance that quickly. And two, it’s already a pre-existing condition so it likely wouldn’t be covered anyway. 🙁
Yeah, I was going to mention the pre-existing condition part. 🙁
Actually, part of Obama’s health care reform bill is that insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to individuals based on a pre-existing condition. Of course, enforcing that is a whole different thing, but theoretically this would be covered if you were enrolled in a new insurance plan. As far as how quickly you could be added to an insurance plan, I would guess that varies greatly from company to company and insurance plan to insurance plan. Just a thought – I still hope you come to a solution that works for you. You are most definitely in my thoughts.
Kathryn
True, but it’s not in effect yet for adults. Unfortunately, it goes live as law 2014. It’s applicable for children only but not for adults. We’re thinking of still moving forward with a quick courthouse wedding just to try but even that is over $100 here in Florida with a 3-day waiting period. How difficult can they make all of this??