medical bill

[mandy7181]

What is the name of your state? Georgia

Yesterday I received a demand for immediate payment on a 4,500 dollar medical bill. I have never received a bill for that amount before---I keep track of all my bills. Im thinking that it is from a surgery i had in November. Medicaid was supposed to have covered it but my primary health care physician refused to authorize the surgery...This was because a "real" surgeon carried out the double surgery(I had two separate procedures). Does anyone know Georgia Medicaid Law and what requirements something has to meet to be considered an "emergency" under that law. Basically from what the surgeon told me after the procedure is i could have died had i not had this surgery....a gallstone was blocking the main bile duct and my gallbladder was dead---i was so sick i couldnt even keep down water....I cant afford this bill even if i tried--any ideas??????

Hey Mandy!
I'm in GA too. I don't know much about Medicaid law, but I do know how insurance companies define "emergency." I would bet Medicaid has similar standards.

With most insurance companies, they consider emergency to be something like what a layperson (you or me) would deem life-threatening: would waiting for treatment cause further illness, injury or death?

Please explain a little more about why your primary dr. wouldn't authorize the surgery. Was the surgery to treat a diagnosed condition, or was it elective? Who scheduled the surgery?

Thanks!