Cash Before Chemo: Hospitals Get Tough

[*anj*]

This is from today's Wall Street Journal. You can read the article in its entirety by clicking the WSJ link.

 

I cannot believe that this is common at all. It is a travesty that it has happened at all, but it's got to be an anomaly. What do you think of this? There has apparently been a precedent set for hospitals to refuse chemotherapy treatments to patients until they provide proof of payment.

 

LAKE JACKSON, Texas -- When Lisa Kelly learned she had leukemia in late 2006, her doctor advised her to seek urgent care at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. But the nonprofit hospital refused to accept Mrs. Kelly's limited insurance. It asked for $105,000 in cash before it would admit her.

 

Sitting in the hospital's business office, Mrs. Kelly says she told M.D. Anderson's representatives that she had some money to pay for treatment, but couldn't get all the cash they asked for that day. "Are they going to send me home?" she recalls thinking. "Am I going to die?"

 

 

[chiguirre]

Thank you for posting this Anj. I'm astonished by MD Anderson's attitude and since I live in Houston it hits close to home.

[Carol in Cal.]

What are we coming to?

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

My 64 yo bio-dad (not involved in my life at all - ever) has never paid a dime in taxes or health insurance or child support. He has spent his whole life living off others and under the table wages and has no assets of his own. He bragged for years how he's outsmarted us all and will inherit all my grandparent's assets....blah blah blah.

 

His mother is 85 and healthy. Well it seems as though he has pancreatic, liver and bowel cancer. From what I hear, he is getting VERY GOOD medical care to prolong his life. He is getting chemo and drugs. He was diagnosed over 6 months ago and is still here. He is getting excellent care.

 

My dear mother who supported this man for many years continues to work because she needs health insurance and wants to protect her assets (home, cash).

 

So, I guess there are still hospitals out there that provide services.....

 

K

[Rebecca in VA]

paying up front if there were a reasonable fee involved and a one-time payment would be the end of the matter. The problem is when hospitals continue to bill you after treatment.

 

I've written on this board before about how my teenage son had elective jaw surgery two years ago. We prepaid for the surgery plus the estimated hospital fee. The day before the surgery, I was up at the hospital doing pre-admissions stuff, and the clerk asked me (required me) to sign a form stating that we would be responsible for any extra costs. I did that, since I expected any charges to be reasonable and since I didn't have a choice anyway. Well, after the surgery we got an un-itemized bill for $17,000 from the hospital. The hospital wouldn't/couldn't tell us what the charges were all about. This was THREE TIMES the amount of the surgeon's fee plus the original hospital estimate, and my son's surgery was completely routine.

 

We finally negotiated down with them, but we still had to pay a lot, and the hospital still wouldn't tell us what the charges were for. I refuse to EVER sign a paper like that again!

[unsinkable]

I mean this sincerely:

 

What are hospitals supposed to do? They are businesses that have to pay workers, suppliers, for upkeep of the buildings.

 

OTOH, I don't want anyone to die b/c they can't pay for treatment.

 

I don't know what the answer is.

[homeschoolmom]

I mean this sincerely:

 

What are hospitals supposed to do? They are businesses that have to pay workers, suppliers, for upkeep of the buildings.

 

OTOH, I don't want anyone to die b/c they can't pay for treatment.

 

I don't know what the answer is.

 

 

:iagree:

[shell in SC]

Yes it is a business, but it's a non-profit in this case. Most people think that a non-profit is more inclined to help society in a charitable way. . .at least I do. I guarentee that the board of this "Non-profit" organization makes plenty of money. Maybe they should look at cutting executive costs and start running like a TRUE non-profit.

[Paula in MS]

When my 1st husband had cancer in 2003, we went to M. D. Anderson. If you did not have insurance, you had to pay the entire amount for the treatment up front. The only assistance that you can get is if you live in Texas. Otherwise, you are out of luck. Very sad, but true.

 

Paula

[Laura K (NC)]

I read a story a few months ago about how hospitals are in dangerous financial situations because illegal aliens hop the border to get free medical care, because hospitals can't turn them away. Then after getting their care, they just go back home again. The solution is for the U.S. (that is, us) to provide universal health care (universal implying folks from other countries too, I guess, since borders won't be secure any time soon) or for hospitals to keep giving expensive medical treatment gratis. That would be impossible and it would negatively affect those who play by the rules. While it's a shame that people can't take care of their affairs in such a way that they have provided for their own health care, it's a reality that though everyone in the U.S. has access to the jobs that provide sufficient health care, they don't avail themselves of those opportunities. There are pros and cons of capitalism, and there are real responsibilities that must be owned.