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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Methodist Hospital Billing question
Not sure if anyone can answer this but.... we are being told that they dont allow payment plans once you have the baby...is this a scare tatic? It's just so odd to me that you would be required to make payments before even going into the hospital. We recieved the payment plan way back in October and it was going to be like $800/month. The thing is my insurance is different so the amount they are saying we will owe really isnt the amount that we will have to pay. Im going to call my insurance company and talk to them but wondered if anyone had any past experience with them. If this was a sudden surgery I know you would be able to make payments...
Re: Methodist Hospital Billing question
I would call them. There should be a number on your statement, and the girls are really nice. I am delivering in June, and I got my statement in December stating I needed to pay like $375/month up until my delivery month. But, it also said it'd be for a "complication free vaginal birth" - which I wont be having. I was a little thrown off as well at the thought of having a large amount to pay each month, so I called and asked if it would be okay to just pay the balance in full in February (tax returns, hollaa). She said that was no problem at all.
That said, $800/month is insane.. that's like a $7200 birth AFTER insurance.. I'm assuming your insurance cant suck that bad.
If it were me, I'd call my insurance to double check benefits, but I'd also call the number on teh statement just to clarify with them.. you dont want them to think you're just ignoring it, is the only thing.
And for the record, I was as WTF about this as you are. When I delivered my first child in CB we didnt get a bill until after she was born. It was a Methodist hospital, too..
Both of mine were with Methodist, one at Methodist, one at the Women's Hospital. I thought it was stupid too, because what if I ended up with complications or a c-section or something? I'd rather pay for what I actually needed afterwards.
I didn't deliver S at Methodist but when S had surgery in August, Children's wanted me to pay upfront his hospital charge. I told them no because there is no guarantee which bill would be processed first (hospital versus anethesia versus doctor charges) and I wasn't about to pay one over the other until it was all sorted out because I knew I was going to hit my out of pocket.
I would be the same way with a birth. Knowing you are going to get 3 bills 1) Doctor 2) hospital 3) anesthesia...I would not pay because you don't know which ones will get processed through your insurance first and if you meet your out of pocket max with just doctor and anesthesia (which I did) then you won't pay hospital....which I didn't pay anything for.
If anything, if you want to get ahead on paying any bill, just put the estimated costs per month into a savings account and when you actually get the bill you have the amount already in the bank and you can just write a big fat check to them.
I just told them I'd pay them after the delivery. We would get bills, but they wouldn't say anything was due. It would show the cost for my OB, but have a $0 balance due.
I don't think they ever called us. I'm fairly certain that Methodist told me the first time that x amount had to be paid before the delivery. We just didn't pay it! I don't think they can send you to collections for a bill that hasn't been technically processed yet.
I delivered at Methodist in 2009. We didn't pay anything except co-pays for the OBGYN visits before our DD was born. After she was born, we got a bill for the cost after insurance paid their part, and ended up getting a "loan" that paid off the hospital. Then we made payments for a few months to the loan holder. That's about all I know; as for specifics I'd have to ask DH since he handles all the bills.
But, we were never told we had to pay anything up front.
I delivered both of mine at Methodist, planned c-sections, and they never asked me to pay anything upfront for the delieveries, just the midwife fees, and that was like maybe $300, if that? They just said to have them paid before I delievered and they broke them down into four payments for me. But it might have something to do with how much your insurance pays too...I don't think I paid more then an additional $500/kid total for everything after the midwives fees...including hospital stay, csections, circums. etc....
I delivered at Bergan and I paid for doctor, anesthesia. I probably would have paid some of the hospital but since I had that wound vac, that was what maxed out my out-of-pocket.
Plus Alegent is really good about setting up payment plans. Their philosophy is to have it all paid within 1 year of service.
I delivered both of mine at the old Methodist Hospital, not the Women's Hospital, but it's the same thing really. I met with the financial people during my first visit (I think). They set up a payment plan with each saying that I owed something like $300/month. I complained about it then, but it didn't get me anywhere. We ultimately decided just not to pay anything before delivery. I think they called me once while I was pregnant with Macy to ask for money. I vaguely remember just kind of blowing them off.
With both of mine I ended up seeing my OB so many fewer times than a "normal" pregnancy because I delivered early. With Madison I think I was still at the point of only going once a month, so in total I probably had half the number of normal visits. Because of this, I ended up owing Methodist less money in the end than what their payment plan estimate said I would owe. I was really glad that I hadn't paid them because we ended up with so many total bills that it was easier to just sort it all out at the end like Nichole said.
What the what?
I delivered at the new Women's hospital last July, even sent in the form early that we would be delivering there and didn't get a phone call that they wanted any up front money.
Interesting that they do this, kind of weird if you ask me.
Through Alegent it's all after you deliver, at least 5 years ago it was. Even paying the OB was afterwards through my insurance.
Does this have to do with different insurance companies?
Or people not paying their bills?
First, hi! Havent seen you in awhile.
So, what happens if someone refuses to pay ahead of time? Anything?
Katie you might be right, I'm delivering at the Women's Hospital too. But, I was just going to blindly hand over the 2k and hope they were right.. although assuming I'd end up owing more since I'll have a c-section. But, now I realize it'd be smarter to ask for an itemized bill before I pay anything.
Amy...what you need to keep in mind is the upfront amount they are trying to set up on payments for you now is for Physicians Clinic only...not your hospital bill. The payment plans for your OB care are nothing new. They've done it for years. It has nothing to do with the WH being in financial trouble....which is news to me. (thank you Katie for sharing!)
Happily Married Since 11.29.02
Brayden Kenneth born 3.27.06
Blaire Kay born 7.10.10
Of course I can't speak to your hospitals
but I know we are implementing a new system at our hospital that collects payments up front. There are times, of course, where people can't pay it all in a chunk...but this is all part of healthcare reform, reimbursement changes, insurance companies changing how they pay hospitals, etc. They even run a credit check on you now, to check your liabilities vs your income.
My OB charge, not including tests and the ultrasound was $3200. The hospital bill for me was around $3000 and for Isla was $1500. This was a med free birth that took all of 30 minutes, and we were only in the hospital for 36 hours.
I have heard this too, from Methodist employees. Not like its going to close, but they arent making what they thought that they would from it.
That's probably right, for total charges. Our estimates though are on your out of pocket amount.