Cost of cystoscopy

Hi Star,

I too have trouble affording healthy food with all these medical bills hanging over my head. I live in the Chicago area and the cost of EVERYTHING is high. If I want to buy a bottle of organic carrot juice, then I have to skip a meal somewhere. I've eaten spaghetti more nights than I care to. I would like to buy all the healthy juices, foods, vitamins, teas, have the recommended tests, etc., but I also would prefer not to live in a cardboard box under a bridge.

Then they wonder why my usually normal blood pressure shoots up to 145/95 each time I go to the doctor.

WELL IN NY STATE Preferred Care has gone up. I spend $75 for pre-opt visit then 45 more to dr to sign a piece of paper then after surgery{always a Monday} follow up on Wed it cost 45 to take the cath out{post-opt} so in 2 wks in co-pays=165 bucks. BCG IS 45 to walk in 25 more toward the bcg. so 70 a wk. I after 7 surgeries in a 1 1/2 now get more owed bills from areas never before listed so you bet I am disputing some of this.{my co-pays are adding up to more than my payout for ins}
I am looking for other health care also. I so understand but I guess the theory is is staying healthy worth the price??? Why yes but gee I hope the car doesn't break or put food on the table or other....
The cost of healthy food is high and to maintain some of it with these co-pays the resources are few. Alternitive areas get costly and in a way your stuck to wonder.

Dear Connie,
You need more than a bill. You need the EOB (explanation of benefits) that your provider received from your insurance company. It shows what they charged, what the allowable charges are, what they were paid, and the disposition of any unpaid charges. The EOB might even show that according to the doctors' contract, they are not allowed to balance bill you, in which case you are entitiled to a full refund. If you were charged a deductible, or a service was rejected, there will be an explanation. All of this will help you figure out if there was a correctable error which can eliminate the charge to you. The doctor's office should be able to provide you with a copy of the EOB, but so should your insurance company. Many insurance companies send statements as a matter of course, but since they are not bills, many patients just dispose of them rather than trying to figure them out.

Yes the provider has to change the coding...the insurance company will do nothing to help with that...they don't care...they all worked at the DMV previously.
I got a $625 dollar bill from the new OB/GYN i went to after my previous one retired...same group of doctors but they billed me for a NEW PATIENT visit.....like this is the group i've gone to for 30 yrs. I did protest and they did change the bill.
Pat

I can't complain a bit about the cost of my surgery, because Blue Cross has been tremendous so far.

But I do have a little story about my TURB, which I had in May of last year. The surgical center, which is fairly new, never got their act together about billing Blue Cross for the procedure, and didn't submit a bill until after the one-year billing-limit had passed.

Because of the late billing, Blue Cross won't pay them the almost $15K they wanted.

I know billing is complicated and a nuisance, but if a company can't get an invoice out within a year, someone in that department should go back to working for the DMV or wherever they came from... ;D

And no, they can't come after us for the loss.

At one point during my husband's journey we switched insurance companies and the Urology office did not have our updated insurance info. They did the Cysto and we got the bill -- $650.00 OUCH!
We did get reimbursed from the insurane company.
Usually we only pay our co-pay which is $10. With the always changing health insurance plans, types of coverages, co-pays and deductibles---nothing surprises me any more!
Ask your health insurer to direct you where in your member "handbook" you can find information regarding the particular questions you may have.
Good Luck!