Went to ER for 35 bee stings, nothing was done, charged $400

[Zigner]

Yep, it's a lot of money. Next time don't go to the ER.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

I'm not the suing type, but I get your point. Even if liability was part of the equation, that could have been easily avoided by saying "it's been over an hour and you have no reaction so you will probably be fine, but you should go to the ER just to be safe." Instead she scared me into going. From what the doctor told me you would see symptoms pretty quick. I got schooled for $402.08, now I know.

Liability is probably 100% of it. I'm surprised the phone number you called didn't start with words to the effect of "If this is an emergency hang up and dial 911."

 

[justalayman]

Yep, but the norm is overcharging. I believe it is overcharging when nothing was done. The statement says they billed $503 for doctor's services alone. For 5 minutes of time the guy would be making over $5000/hour. I'm sure he's not making that, so where's the justification?

But there was something done. They triaged you and then you saw a doctor. They also told you you weren’t going to die from the stings.


Obviously you have no idea how serious bee stings can be for some people. The nurse did not see you in person. She did now know if you were allergic to bee stings. What she had is what you told her. The best advice for a person that doesn’t know if they are allergic to bee stings and just got stung 35 times is to head to some sort of medical treatment center. Anaphylaxis can come on very quickly. Anaphylaxis can be lethal.

 

[cbg]

I'm not sure what you mean. I'm obligated to pay what they didn't pay, which was $402.08. It won't break me, but I'm pretty mad they tried to bill my insurance almost $1000 for the little that was done.

What you are billed, and what you actually owe under your insurance plan, are not necessarily the same. Your insurance carrier will tell you what you are responsible for, which is not necessarily what you were billed.

 

[ajkroy]

Also, the OP didn't indicate if that amount was attributed to his deductible or not. If it was, it means that portion of the deductible is met for the remainder of the year.

 

[xylene]

Another way to look at it: works out to 11 bucks a bee sting.

 

[stealth2]

Some family members told me to call the nurse hotline with my health insurance, so I did.

Hit up your family members - the ones who told you to call the hotline.

 

[NeilTheCop]

I guess you've never had a European car... - that's like a good price.

Chalk and cheese. A doctor goes through years of training and has to pass an exam to prove he's competent before being allowed near a patient, an auto mechanic needs.....a pulse, no training, no exams.

 

[justalayman]

Chalk and cheese. A doctor goes through years of training and has to pass an exam to prove he's competent before being allowed near a patient, an auto mechanic needs.....a pulse, no training, no exams.

Not true, at least in my state. Testing is required and you won’t pass that without some schooling.

Additionally, to be a competent mechanic one does require training.


Now, to be a cop; around here it requires absolutely no training, no degree, and having known a few quite well, at best, average intelligence.

 

[NeilTheCop]

Not true, at least in my state. Testing is required and you won’t pass that without some schooling.

Additionally, to be a competent mechanic one does require training.


Now, to be a cop; around here it requires absolutely no training, no degree, and having known a few quite well, at best, average intelligence.

Funny, I went through almost 6 months of intensive training at the academy to get my New Mexico law enforcement certification, but to be an auto mechanic the only requirement in the states I have lived; California, Nevada and New Mexico is that you are prepared to work cheap and mostly on commission.

 

[HRZ]

Good thing you did not call for out of network medical transport ...then you might really have been stung . Some of this stuff is hard to follow....like getting a bill for services " on stand by " while in OR . Then again when some groups of patients seem to run about 100% no pay...the rest of us have opportunity to fill the gap...the good thing is apparently you had no serious reaction to what could have been a bad scene ...and in hindsight , had things taken a turn for the worse the providers were right there to abate things.....consider it "insurance " against disaster and move on.