Not even third world countries do this to their citizens. I'm sorry for most of you, but you're treated worse than cattle. Healthcare and consumer protection is a sham in the US. Just work until you fall over and consume, and don't you dare become uppity. It's paradise for rich people and hell for everyone else. I already mentioned this on other similar posts, might seem like I hate the US, but I actually love it, that's why it's making me sick how it's descending into this rightwing Dystopia. There's responsible capitalism and then there's vulture capitalism, you're being slaughtered by the vultures.

Man, as a Canadian I find it absolute WILD that you get a BILL for visiting an ER.

I'm just too European to understand this insanity in a developed country.

that's ridiculous, in my 30+ years most i had to pay in hospital was 4 euros for emergency dental treatment (which is standard payment in hospital if one arrives on own feet and not in ambulance), but everything else is covered, that what's social insurance is paid by employer for

I can't understand why americans don't protest and demand a proper healthcare system. Yes, it is payed for by taxes, but when you do get sick you know it won't ruin your life finacially. That's so comforting. Last year, I unfortunately got Psoriasis. Months of treatment in hospital (Sweden), special creams. In the US, I would have gone bankrupt. Most of that wouldn't be covered by insurance. I got the major part "for free".

It's funny. I only get itemized bills from my vet because I have to pay it on my own and I was astonished how much stuff is used and how much it costs. So wtf are they doing in the US human health care that the amounts are so wrong at the end? Do they just round or double everything? Don't they themselves have to know every small thing they did and used?

It all boils down to one thing: Out of control predatory greed.

I'm still amazed this isn't fraud.

What happens is the hosptial enters what you had into a system, adds in some info and then a price pops out, it is many times not correct, which is why insurance companies "negotiate" bills down by huge numbers. What asking for itemized is, forces the hospital to look over every item by an accountant and then they legally have to ensure everything is alright or they can face legal consequences. So they will take off any errors. If you want to understand why this happens, is the current system that leads to the issues in the first place actually comes from govt regulatory compliance. Having worked in Health Care policy, about 40% of current health care costs are government compliance, the reason why most meds are so high is same reasons, the stupid system that spits out high bills too comes from bad govt regulatory policy. The problem is we have 7 different systems piled on top of each other. And most of these regs arent even safety, but rather bureaucratic in nature with no purpose

Im glad I live in the UK. I had a chat with someone from America and they believe we pay half of our wages to the NHS! The look on their face when I told them we pay around 25% in taxes and 4% of that goes to the NHS was priceless. The American Government 'Health Service' machine has really rolled out and bull-dozered the truth out of the way just for profits.

What a 3rd world country.

Poor US citizens victimized by their fraudulent health system and primarily by their insurance. Which, among other things, are trying to export this criminal system all over the world. We hope to be able to counteract them. In the meantime, I wish you knew that elsewhere in the civilized world things are different.

Murrica!

I had to go to one of those emergency care clinics a few years back. I was told that as soon as I received my bill to send it to a particular address and my bill would go from 1k+ to $100. I was never sent a bill and they posted to a credit agency. As I tried to fight it and told the collections folks about the situation, they said nobody EVER does what I described. Been fighting this for almost 5 years now and when they call to threaten a lawsuit, I tell them to go right ahead, sue the hell out of me. Never happened yet. It is a ding on my credit but I'm trying to get that changed too. Bottom line, if I have to go to my grave with this on my credit report, so be it. They are not getting a dime from me. Yes, I have tried to pay the reduced $100 I was promised but they won't accept it.

Why the heck are you Americans paying for insurance if you then still have to pay thousands of dollars anyway out of pocket. What is even the point in paying for insurance.

In 2018 I had to have 2 ear tubes installed to drain the fluid. Done in the doctors office, 10 mins. My Bill $6,000! I was supposedly used an OR, had an nurse anesteologist, suitures, tubes, recovery room etc. When I got the bill I was well a bit heated and yep cussed some. They offered to drop the bill to 1K I told them to kiss my a*s, then they said well $200 bucks told them to sue me in court, I insisted they bring it to court and warned them you screw with my credit report and I am going to wind up owning GHS. When the doctor heard about it, I thought he was going to carve the ceo up... Last year when he did the procedure again him, me in his office and that was it....NO CHARGE. CHALLENGE THOSE BILLS FOLKS....

Just for one extensive eye exam that totalled $160, they billed me for it when I had health insurance WITH VISION COVERAGE TO BOOT. I went in there asking them why I was getting billed, they called their billing company and they said that they tried to enter it and it wasn't accepted because it was a late Friday or some b.s., so instead of trying again on Monday to submit it to my insurance, they sent it to me to pay. Can you imagine if an elderly person got that and just paid it, and how many times they do that and people don't question it? I have full insurance and they just didn't feel like submitting it twice, so they told me to pay it. F**k off you lazy knobs.

Oh... this c**p is ridiculous! I had my gallbladder taken out and was charged three times $1,800 for someone to administer the drugs needed to knock me out... THREE TIMES charged. They also for some reason were "out of network" and charged all this insane stuff alongside their $1800 price tag... so I fought that sucker... because the hospital... the surgeon who did the surgery, everything... was in-network. I never had to pay a dime for that... especially as I had met my maximum out of pocket for the year. America's healthcare system is a joke and will try to charge insane prices... they gave me a fan because I was ungodly hot in my room... I spent 3 days in because I almost died from the surgery... the fan was $100... for a simple clip on 4 inch diameter fan...

Well has anyone here written their Senators? That's what they're here for. I am doing it today but it is state by state so you all have to write as well. Let's fix this!

It's kinda like the cable bill or phone bill, they are always trying to slip something by you, hoping you won't notice. I read my bills closely and call them out on it all the time.

Im just sitting here, newly uninsured after having my second baby. A mistake on my insurance companies behalf has delayed medical care for my NEWBORN, and my daughter, who at this very second has an ear infection, can't be seen by her general practitioner unless paid fully upfront. I havent been taking any of my daily medications because I can't afford $1200 up front to pick them up. I'm f*****g tired of this s**t. We work so hard, we raise our children to be upstanding individuals, we pay massive taxes and we go through life struggling, miserable, and in the end, depressed as f**k, bc of our healthcare system.

That's absolutely shocking that a first World country like America treats its citizens like this! Medical emergency, planned treatment etc should be free! Thank goodness for the NHS 😊

Guess sometimes we don't realize how good we have it here in the UK. Bills for a hospital visit? What's that all about lol.

I wanna thank my lucky stars I have not been to ER in 50 years!

the land of the free they say...

I got a call she said she was from some hospital, and said I owed a back bill I do remember going to the hospital but never getting a bill , so I assumed my husband either did a payment plan and forgot or he took the bill and forgot to pay , so I asked if she could send me an itemized bill and once I get that I would gladly pay , I never got a itemize bill and chalked it to a scam or i really didn’t own anything .

I have lovely insurance, I could just do without the paperwork. I get a statement *every month* for IV therapy that ended in 2015. For $0.00. That's an awful lot of paper for zero returns. Yes, I've called. Multiple times.

Last spring I badly broke my arm. The ER in question had once charged my mom fo ra paper cup ($3 for a dixie cup!) so she could swallow a pill. So when they handed me the paper cup of water, I said, "If this shows up for more than a half a penny for the cost of tap water in a dixie cup, your a*s is getting sued". Strangely, my bill was remarkably low and extremely itemized, and nobody seemed ot charge for the fact I existed. RESIST PERSIST INSIST... or the profiteering SOBs never desist!

I thought it was a standar, here un México if you go to a private hospital they always give you a itemized bill, so they can't make a fraud yo the insurance company.

Well has anyone here written your congress reps? That's what they're there for. I'm doing it today but it is state by state so you all need to do it as well. Let's fix this!

Whaaaaaaa?!

I wish so much I'd known about this last year!