I'm glad that you are on the mend, Jim. I probably would have been as reluctant as you were to go to the hospital, and I have very good medical coverage. I agree with those who say that you can negotiate your hospital bill downwards. Most people and businesses would rather receive 100% of $100 then 0% of $1,000.
Jim, This is from my heart. I was probably one of the 1st. Jim called when he returned home as I had lost my computer to the hurricane & had to buy another & getting it set-up was another chore, THANKS JEFF, no way of signing into one of my most favorite sites, NOT ONLY for Buick info, BUT for ALL the cammoroddity that this forum provides BESIDES Buick's, cars & other things. This has to be one of the BEST sites for just about anything us as mere mortals could ever want or ask for. I'm sure we would ALL be lost without you & it would be a tragic loss to all involved. I thank you from the bottom of my heart & wish you the best. Since the day we conversed it has been NON STOP prayers & blessings coming your way for a fast & speedy recovery. Appreciate ALL you do/have done for ALL of us, especially with the knowledge you are so willing to share. In today's world it is so refreshing to get on this site & explore all the going's on. Please, please take care of yourself & don't EVER again ignore the signs of impending tragedy. Tom T.
Jim, all the best to you and take the required time to recover properly. Nothing is more important than your health and thank God you have a sister who talked some sense to you. You need at least 30 more years to enjoy on this earth and episodes like this could keep you from getting there!
Glad to hear that you're ok. We all go through this kind of thing eventually, but it really wakes you up to what's important real quick. My heart went bad at 35, and my whole life has been different as a result. I didn't see it coming. They still don't know why it happened. After medication and rest, I recovered and it is pumping normally now. 10 years later, I have to take medication and I have a very limited envelope of reserve energy, but I can live a pretty normal life. Mostly, I'm thankful to be here to see my kids raised. They are in their early high school years and I'm really thankful to God for every day that I have to be with them. My wife found out she had bad hips from birth and would have to have them replaced. After one screwed up replacement and a BUNCH more surgeries to fix it, she barely has use of her leg and it swells (lymph edema) and has to be wrapped 24/7. Between the two of us, we can tell you about medical bills! I would be much further along with my car projects, but we have paid for a lot of doctors for the last 10-15 years. Best wishes to you, and I'm glad that it all worked out in the end.
Totally agree w/Ken, Marc, Jay, and John & PM'd @corvettzo about his late friend's $190k bill before I finished reading this thread and saw the other replies. This is the retail price (what they call in the Healthcare industry the "Chargemaster" price). Nobody pays retail in Healthcare. The insurance company will pay 10-20% (tops) of the Chargemaster price & the hospital will settle for that for a paying customer without you feeling guilty for not paying them "in full" whether it's in a lump sum (offer even less) or installment payments. It's more you'll feel "like a fool" if you pay them list price. Whether or not you can afford it is inconsequential. I believe there is even a service that for a fee will negotiate all this for you. I can dig up that info. if anyone needs it. There's a whole lot more to all this than I can get into here but I know what I'm talking about or I wouldn't post this. There are advantages for the hospital to having exorbitant Chargemaster prices having to do with a multitude of government policies (please... no politics here. We've been warned and just mentioning this I'm probably treading on thin ice but this is a PSA). There are also advantages for the insurance companies. When you have insurance & receive the EOB (Explanation Of Benefits) you "see" how little the insurance co. actually pays or more accurately how little the hospital settles for. This makes it appear that the insurance company is doing you a great service by getting you such a "huge" discount. You certainly could never do this on your own (you can) & so it appears they're providing an invaluable service that you can't possibly live without. Moreso, if you are having any procedure done where it can be scheduled ahead of time, most hospitals &/or ambulatory surgery centers will negotiate an "all-in" upfront price (again, 10-20% of list price). If one in your town won't, another will. If not, it's well worth catching a flight to somewhere that will. There are some techniques to doing this that again, is too much to post here. I could write a book on all this (hmmm...could be that I actually am). If anyone wants/needs more information on this, feel free to PM me. Do not, under any circumstances, pay the list price!
About 2 months ago I went to the hospital for a small operation,which my private doctor perfomed.In other words,I only used the Op room.I was there for about 4 hours.The 2 doctors I used,both send me the bills that Medicare did not cover.For the 4 hours the hospital charged Medicare $44.000.00,that's right forty four thousand .Medicare paid about a little over $43.000.00 and then the hospital send me a bill for a bit over $1.000.00.No wonder these ceo's have houses all over the world.So far I paid them about $400.00.but I'm going to stop paying them,and see what happens. I mean after 4 hours I was on my way home.Bruno.
Thanks guys... I appreciate all the advice and well wishes. Getting better, but return to my feet tomorrow might have been wishful thinking.. biggest problem is my foot is still swollen up, and a shoe, even opened way up, hurts like the dickens after a while. But my progress has been good since Thursday, so it should not be that much longer. I know I am bored out of my mind sitting here with my leg elevated... watched more TV in the last week or so, than I have in 20 years.. Felt good enough today to break out the laptop and hook it up to my TV in the living room here. If you know me, then you know that I despise being on the internet on anything short of a big screen, and with a real mouse and keyboard.. JW
Glad to hear you're feeling better. I knew something was up when you closed the thread on "rebodies". Had no idea what but seemingly not something you'd normally do. You & @Postsedan both w/your legs messed up. Two guys that are used to & who it's essential to being mobile. Hopefully you didn't send 'em all your racecar $ yet.
Wow! Just saw this thread. Glad to read You are on the road to recovery, Jim. There are a lot of us stubborn guys who think "Oh it's nothing. It'll go away in a few days". Good that "the voice of reason" won and You sought care.
WOW Jim! I don't always check the new posts, for some reason I did today. As so many have said, it's important to take care of yourself. And a note to us stubborn guys and gals, Make sure you are getting an annual checkup. I can't stress how important those are. Like most of us, I've skipped a few in the past. Fortunately my wife made me get back to them three years ago and my primary physician saw something a tiny out of ordinary on the blood workup and insisted that it be pursued. That was the first week of December 2017. Two weeks later I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and started chemo the first week of 2018. The thing I want to empress is that I had no symptoms of the cancer. Normally people diagnosed with M2, go into a physician because their bones hurt or they have a broken bone that can't be normally explained. I am fortunate that it was caught early. My prayers for you for a speedy and complete recovery, God's blessings, Loren
Wow, sorry to hear about your troubles and glad you are healing up Jim. Its an odd thing but a person doesn't really understand the "your health is the most important thing" message until you have a major episode yourself, then it finally hits home. I won't bore anyone with the details but being unable to walk/insane pain for 6 months with a back injury will put the fear of God into anyone, so glad the surgery/recovery was successful and I am more or less back to normal (as normal as I ever was ). About the only good thing to come of that was I have an excuse now to buy more aluminum parts Take care, do what the doctors say, do not rush, heal up!!
Jim that's nuts. Glad you're on the mend. Good advice too. The human body many times will tell you what's up. Whether you listen to it or not...hmmm When your calf looks like your thigh in conjunction with a recent 105 fever (which btw can make you borderline delirious) what does Jim do? He reaches for the hydrocortisone. LOL
Definitely good to hear you are mending well. Medical bills are such a scam. Gotta love how dirty insurance companies are. I do know so long as you are paying anything they supposedly cannot come after you. Give twenty a month.
It become silent here and I do hope, that no news is good news. Maybe Jim is up and running like a 18-year old again. Looking forward to some news and keep my fingers cross, that these will be good news!
