# cost of m/c



## haleyelianasmom (Nov 5, 2005)

I had a m/c in March and I must say I was recovering well emotionally (we had a lot of life changes, like buying a house in a different state, so I definitely had a lot to think about to keep me distracted), but now the bills are rolling in and right now I owe almost $8000 for the trip to the ER and the d&c. And that is WITH insurance (very crappy insurance, apparently... stay far far away from MEGA health insurance). It really bothers me that we owe so much for this. First off, now I feel guilty for getting pregnant, having a loss, and seeking medical help. Second, it's like I'm being punished for having a loss. Next time remind me to spend the $8k that I don't have on something fun, like a trip to Paris.

Anyways, this is why we need to do something with our health care system. My husband is a vet and he is just disgusted looking through the bills because they charge SO much for everything. I mean, in veterinary medicine they do some of the same stuff (bloodwork submitted to a lab, ultrasounds, anesthesia, etc.) and the cost difference is just scary.

Not sure what I'm looking for here, but this just really irks me.







:


----------



## mrsbabycakes (Sep 28, 2008)

I was pissed that I sent my baby (after the D&C) to pathology and had to pay $250 for them to say, "Yep, that's a fetus!" and throw it away.

I work in healthcare and I agree, sometimes it's just too freaking expensive.


----------



## lovebug (Nov 2, 2004)

s sorry mama!


----------



## Jane (May 15, 2002)

Wow. I'd be stunned at an $8000 bill. I'm sorry for your loss.


----------



## Amy&4girls (Oct 30, 2006)




----------



## Authentic_Mother (Feb 25, 2007)

Out of pocket (after insurance paid) I think I have paid about $1600. Im still paying on it actually which makes me feel a little ill.
We have excellent insurance - BUT - this bill not onnly includes the initial ER visit for hemmoraging, but also the visit two days later because I couldn't urinate and had to have a catheter placed. Then the visit 2 days after that to have the catheter removed, and then the visit after that for bowel impaction. All were complications from the pain medication they used on me during my miscarriage.


----------



## KatWrangler (Mar 21, 2005)

How much did the insurance pay? What was the original total cost? What is your policy?

My husband said to appeal it. This is riduculus. Did they pay like $50?







:

I just looked up Mega and I see alot of negative sites out there. Get your state insurance commisioner involved. File a complaint with the state. I would CC the hospital and who ever you owe.


----------



## MI_Dawn (Jun 30, 2005)

For pete's sake, William was stillborn at 39 weeks, and the TOTAL hospital cost was only $5000! (We pay 20% of that)

I'd start checking things out in terms of the bills and talk to the hospital to negotiate that charge. That's WAY too much!


----------



## haleyelianasmom (Nov 5, 2005)

We did see all of the negative sites on MEGA insurance and now I'm off of that, but it just makes me want to scream. I got one big bill from the hospital totaling just under $6000 and we're on a 2 year payment plan with them paying $275 a month. yikes.

Okay, just found the bills. Here's from the hospital. The total charges from the hospital are $10,860.00 (this does not include the separate bills I got from the anesthesiologist and various other specific services.) Keep in mind my total hospital time was maybe 8 hours, a trip to the ER, some tests, and the D&C, then I was sent home. no complications or anything. So the insurance company argued it down a bit an paid $1,929.34 and left us to pay $5,889.86. The charges were:
Pharmacy general $383
M/S Supply Sterile Supply $255
Laboratory General $136
Laboratory Chemistry $249
Laboratory Immunology $148
Lab Hematology $302
Lab Bacteriology/Microbio $311
Lab Pathology Histology $390
OR svcs general $3305
Anesthesia general $954
OTH Imag Ultrasound $1684
Emergency Room General $745
Drug Spec ID Detail coding $211
Recovery Room General $842
Other Diag Peripheral Lab $945

Then we have gotten a couple other bills from specific services:
Anesth, Inc/Missed Ab Proc $720
Emergency Anesthesia $160
Treatment of Missed Abortion, complete $950
(another one that I can find from the ultrasound for around $220)

I wish there was something I could do because this just makes me feel sick, but I get the feeling I just have to keep paying. Haha, no more kids for me I guess.


----------



## Jules09 (Feb 11, 2009)

I'm not sure how your insurance works, but mine will cover 100% of emergencies and 80% of non-emergencies, so I was able to argue with them that my ER visit was an emergency (they had said that it wasn't), and then they payed the full amount for that rather than just the percentage. From memory, I think my D&C did cost about 10,000. It's completely ridiculous.

I got a bill recently for $60,000 for the first day at the NICU for Lachlan, and $40,000 for my c-section. Thankfully we qualified for medi-cal so we shouldn't have too much out of pocket (fingers crossed), but gosh, the hospitals just charge a complete fortune.


----------



## KatWrangler (Mar 21, 2005)

What does the policy specifically say? What percentage are you suppose to pay? For example our old policy:

We paid out of pocket:

$300 per person or $900 per family.

Then it was 80/20 (insurance paid 80% and we paid 20% of the bill) up to $4K out of pocket (I think is the number).

After that the insurance paid at 100%.


----------



## yarngoddess (Dec 27, 2006)

Oh man, I'm *SO* sorry! It's bad enough that you have to deal with such a tragic loss, and then to add to it this astronomical bill! I wish there was an easy solution or way out of this....have you asked the hospital about some type of donation assistance? The hospital where I worked we had a CARE program that helped people that could not pay their bill....and even help pay part of bills for people that could pay but had serious problems. Hang in there and I hope you are able to get the Insurance company off their duff's and I also help that the hospial can help you in some way...

I'm very sorry for your loss as well as for your complications resulting from your loss.


----------



## pjs (Mar 30, 2005)

I'm so sorry for your loss. We experienced the same thing. An ER visit with an u/s and then a doc visit the next day for a d&c (and yes the d&c cost the same as a full term vaginal delivery). We ended up paying about $1500 out of pocket, so not only were our arms empty, but our bank account was as well.


----------



## Cheshire (Dec 14, 2004)

I'm so sorry for your loss and for issues with the hospital and insurance company.

I second checking with the hospital for payment forgiveness and also see if there are any charities that might be able to help? Maybe contact the doctor's directly to negotiate their bills?

When our son died his little 12 hours of life cost over $20,000 of care. We've paid somewhere around $6,000 out-of-pocket for his care and mine (mine totaled somewhere around $3,000 at the hospital for less than a 24 hours stay). We also paid over $2,000 for his funeral.

It is crazy what it costs and it's no wonder that the majority of bankruptcies in this country stem from uninsured and underinsured running into health emergencies without any ability to repay the outrageous charges.

Hugs to you guys.


----------



## mommy68 (Mar 13, 2006)

I'm so sorry for your loss.









Quote:


Originally Posted by *haleyelianasmom* 
We did see all of the negative sites on MEGA insurance and now I'm off of that, but it just makes me want to scream. I got one big bill from the hospital totaling just under $6000 and we're on a 2 year payment plan with them paying $275 a month. yikes.

Okay, just found the bills. Here's from the hospital. The total charges from the hospital are $10,860.00 (this does not include the separate bills I got from the anesthesiologist and various other specific services.) Keep in mind my total hospital time was maybe 8 hours, a trip to the ER, some tests, and the D&C, then I was sent home. no complications or anything. So the insurance company argued it down a bit an paid $1,929.34 and left us to pay $5,889.86. The charges were:
Pharmacy general $383
M/S Supply Sterile Supply $255
Laboratory General $136
Laboratory Chemistry $249
Laboratory Immunology $148
Lab Hematology $302
Lab Bacteriology/Microbio $311
Lab Pathology Histology $390
OR svcs general $3305
Anesthesia general $954
OTH Imag Ultrasound $1684
Emergency Room General $745
Drug Spec ID Detail coding $211
Recovery Room General $842
Other Diag Peripheral Lab $945

Then we have gotten a couple other bills from specific services:
Anesth, Inc/Missed Ab Proc $720
Emergency Anesthesia $160
Treatment of Missed Abortion, complete $950
(another one that I can find from the ultrasound for around $220)

I wish there was something I could do because this just makes me feel sick, but I get the feeling I just have to keep paying. Haha, no more kids for me I guess.

Oh my goodness. That's outrageous!







What portion does your insurance pay? Did you have a really high deductible? Our deductibles are kept high since we're self-employed but after we pay out initial $2500 we only have to pay 20% and the insurance company pays the other 80%.


----------



## MeepyCat (Oct 11, 2006)

Mama, I am so sorry. I think it would have been cheaper for you to miscarry in Paris.

Yes, this is a reason for healthcare reform. No one should get stuck like this.


----------



## amberchap (Jan 14, 2007)

That is crazy. I was frustrated with the $2000 I am going to have to pay for my Er trip and D&C. I would see if the hospital can reduce some charges. The hospital charges for me (not including doctors) was like $13,000 but insurance got it reduced to about $2400.


----------



## MI_Dawn (Jun 30, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MeepyCat* 
Yes, this is a reason for healthcare reform. No one should get stuck like this.

Amen to that!


----------



## haleyelianasmom (Nov 5, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommy68* 
I'm so sorry for your loss.









Oh my goodness. That's outrageous!







What portion does your insurance pay? Did you have a really high deductible? Our deductibles are kept high since we're self-employed but after we pay out initial $2500 we only have to pay 20% and the insurance company pays the other 80%.

Well, I'm not sure of exactly _what_ they covered. they sent me a list of charges and said they just plain weren't paying for $1563 because that "represents fees that exceed the maximum allowable charge as defined in [my] certificate". Then I have a deductible of 3,500 (which is apparently occurs 3 times a year, not once a year like most plans) and a coinsurance maximum of 4000 and they cover 70% (or 70% of "covered expenses" whatever that means). They have little regulations, like if you are in the hospital, they will only pay for one doctor's visit per day. Or Outpatient Diagnostic services, they only cover a maximum of $2000 per 24 hour period. You don't realize all of this fine print when the sales guy comes in and tries to sell you insurance. My husband found out about it through his old job. The weird part is, he was required to also join the national association of the self employed to get MEGA and he isn't self-employed. And they told him the NASE was a one-time fee, but his employer was angry when he realized he was being charged every month. It seems like a shady business to me.


----------



## KatWrangler (Mar 21, 2005)

OMG! That is a horrible policy!

Oh Mama, I am so sorry.









I would still report them. I have never heard of a policy that has a deductable 3 times a year. Did they have cheap premiums or something?


----------



## haleyelianasmom (Nov 5, 2005)

Supposedly they have been investigated before and have lawsuits against them. Found that doing a quick google search. I wish we would have done the search earlier... I think it cost less than $5000 a year for a family of 3, which is all his boss was going to pay for.

ETA: how do I report them? Can we do that if they only did what it says in their policy certificate?


----------



## haleyelianasmom (Nov 5, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Cheshire* 
When our son died his little 12 hours of life cost over $20,000 of care. We've paid somewhere around $6,000 out-of-pocket for his care and mine (mine totaled somewhere around $3,000 at the hospital for less than a 24 hours stay). We also paid over $2,000 for his funeral.

It is crazy what it costs and it's no wonder that the majority of bankruptcies in this country stem from uninsured and underinsured running into health emergencies without any ability to repay the outrageous charges.

Hugs to you guys.

Hugs back to you! The system really needs to change. I'm very sorry for your loss.


----------



## MeepyCat (Oct 11, 2006)

If there are outstanding lawsuits against them, can you find out who filed those and write to them? Not only might they know how/who/what to report, but they might be willing to combine things into a class action suit.

I'd want copies of the insurance certificate, the documentation that you signed when you signed up, and the marketing materials they sent you when you were considering them. I'd examine these for discrepencies.

Also - check with Angie's List. They've started doing reviews on health care providers and might be able to point you in the right direction.


----------



## KatWrangler (Mar 21, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *haleyelianasmom* 
Supposedly they have been investigated before and have lawsuits against them. Found that doing a quick google search. I wish we would have done the search earlier... I think it cost less than $5000 a year for a family of 3, which is all his boss was going to pay for.

ETA: how do I report them? Can we do that if they only did what it says in their policy certificate?

Your State Insurance Commisioner. You might even be able to file with the BBB. Tell them you feel you have been ripped off (mislead).


----------



## KatWrangler (Mar 21, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MeepyCat* 
If there are outstanding lawsuits against them, can you find out who filed those and write to them? Not only might they know how/who/what to report, but they might be willing to combine things into a class action suit.

I'd want copies of the insurance certificate, the documentation that you signed when you signed up, and the marketing materials they sent you when you were considering them. I'd examine these for discrepencies.

Also - check with Angie's List. They've started doing reviews on health care providers and might be able to point you in the right direction.

Proof of payment of the premiums too. Like canceled checks.


----------



## hippy mum (Aug 12, 2006)

Wow, that is ridiculous and a lot of money too. I don't have my full bill though so I guess I should wait to see it. I only have the bill from the er visit the day of the accident. I think that total including the extra drs was around $5,000. So yeah, I guess if I count the next er visit plus the admission over night, it will be around the same as your bill. I don't think we have to pay anything, at least I hope not.
I hate that it takes forever and just drags out. Our car insurance took a few weeks to finally get settled, and were nice enough to say if the medical insurance bulked at thier portion, to have them call the car people so I don't have to talk to them. But no medical bills have come in yet. The hospital is directly billing the insurance, so we'll be waiting.


----------



## calmom (Aug 11, 2002)

wow, i'm so sorry for your loss and your bills.

i'm scared to receive the bills for my c-section and 3 days hospital stay now.

this really pisses me off.


----------



## mommy68 (Mar 13, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *haleyelianasmom* 
Well, I'm not sure of exactly _what_ they covered. they sent me a list of charges and said they just plain weren't paying for $1563 because that "represents fees that exceed the maximum allowable charge as defined in [my] certificate". Then I have a deductible of 3,500 (which is apparently occurs 3 times a year, not once a year like most plans) and a coinsurance maximum of 4000 and they cover 70% (or 70% of "covered expenses" whatever that means). They have little regulations, like if you are in the hospital, they will only pay for one doctor's visit per day. Or Outpatient Diagnostic services, they only cover a maximum of $2000 per 24 hour period. You don't realize all of this fine print when the sales guy comes in and tries to sell you insurance. My husband found out about it through his old job. The weird part is, he was required to also join the national association of the self employed to get MEGA and he isn't self-employed. And they told him the NASE was a one-time fee, but his employer was angry when he realized he was being charged every month. It seems like a shady business to me.
















I've never lookd in to a MEGA and don't know much about it but yep, I'd definitely see what kind of recourse you have. We use Blue Cross/Blue Sheild and I thought _it_ was bad.


----------

