US hopsital bills for UK citizen

I know I agree about paying the bill but hey what about all those on here with an opinion writting to insurance agents and or the government to get people who do have pre existing conditions the ability to get insurance.

Its not just about more expensive I would pay it if we went to the US, Its about NOT BEING ABLE TO GET IT in the first place.

Discrimination by any other name hardly fair is it and would any of you not vist your family? errrrrrrrrrm! I think not.

Instead of keep hitting this person over the head why not be a bit more constructive like some people have been.

You know people in glass houses should not throw stones.

Indy

Oh and one other thing I am sure that a few people on here or their relatives have received medical care they haven't paid for here in the UK.

Indy

Discrimination by any other name hardly fair is it and would any of you not vist your family? errrrrrrrrrm! I think not.

Instead of keep hitting this person over the head why not be a bit more constructive like some people have been.

You know people in glass houses should not throw stones.

Indy

Nobody said life was fair.  Sorry.  For what it's worth I haven't been home or seen my family in ten years.  Because I can't afford it.  It sucks but it's part of the decision I made to move to a foreign country.  So, no glass houses here.

We really don't know everything there is to know about every person who posts here and I don't think it's a good idea to make assumptions about people.

I'm afraid there isn't a lot of other constructive advice here.  Shop around and try to find an insurance company willing to take you.  Contact some charities or support groups and see if they have any information or help.  Stay home.  Or go and hope for the best.  I don't think there are many other options.

I know I agree about paying the bill but hey what about all those on here with an opinion writting to insurance agents and or the government to get people who do have pre existing conditions the ability to get insurance.

Its not just about more expensive I would pay it if we went to the US, Its about NOT BEING ABLE TO GET IT in the first place.

Discrimination by any other name hardly fair is it and would any of you not vist your family? errrrrrrrrrm! I think not.

I don't feel the need to do this because I don't see it as the issue you do.  My family does have pre-existing conditions and are able to get travel insurace.  If you have experienced something different, then you seem to be the outlier and I don't really know what to tell you.

Instead of keep hitting this person over the head why not be a bit more constructive like some people have been.

You know people in glass houses should not throw stones.

The OP got plenty of constructive advice.  YOU asked what would people say if insurance was hard to come by.  YOU got those answers.  You then can't say that people are being unconstructive when they give you the answer you asked for. 

And no glass houses here.  I take my own advice.  I don't travel without travel insurance and neither do my family.  If either of us did, I would darn well expect to pay the bill rather than run to another country and try to escape the bill.

Oh and one other thing I am sure that a few people on here or their relatives have received medical care they haven't paid for here in the UK.

Not my family.  And if they did receive care here, I would expect them to pay for it.  Why wouldn't I?

When it boils down to it's basic principle, insurance companies exist to make a profit, like most other businesses. They aren't going to insure people that they think will cost them more than what they'd bring in as profit from that person. It's the same as health insurance with HMOs (they can deny people coverage who have certain pre-existing conditions), and with life insurance (you won't get as good a rate if you have various health problems with many companies). It's not discrimination, it's their business model, and they have a right to run it how they choose to, and to make a profit in order to stay in business. They're generally not trying to be charitable, they're in it to make money--it's not always fair, but it's the way things are run.

I'm not trying to throw stones, I've been in the position of not having coverage myself, and I'm sure a *lot* of people have as well. It sucks, but it's not fair to stick it to every other person that comes through that hospital who gets to pay the bill--the hospital won't eat it, they'll make everyone else chip in for it by raising their prices. If you have serious disabilities that might require emergency care, then you have to prepare for those instances (i.e. finding an insurance company that will take you, which do exist, or saving the money to pay for it out of pocket) or you don't travel.

It sucks, but running out on bills that you genuinely ran up for whatever reason isn't fair either. It won't punish anyone except other patients who have to suck it up for you, and it will follow you for a long time.

But you do realise that insurances companies do decline people for being sick or having a disability and even if they say yes they can still refuse to pay and I know plenty of people who have had insurance declined for what ever illness disability and the like they have.

And its good that those who have managed to get it have, and I wish you the best when they refuse to pay the bill they do.

In the US I managed to get a really good travel insurance to come to the UK however my experience has been different trying to get it to go back to the US, I have found 1 company they quoted £6000. So of course we have not gone home as yet.

Indy

The poor person finds them self with a problem but it could be anyone of us for what ever reason.

I have a lot of experience with not having ideal coverage or very expensive coverage.  Again, my opinion does not change.  I operate within the system and know the rules, even if I don't really agree.  What I don't do is take advantage of the health care system and then run off. 

That doesn't mean that I don't think that US health care can or should improve as a whole. 

I find that your posts are becoming slightly patronising, which may not be your intent.  Loads of us have been very consistant in what we think about this subject and you keep coming back with comments like "people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" and insinuate that people will change their mind if forced into a poor situation.  Sometimes people just disagree and it has nothing to do with some of us not experiencing being poor (which is a terrible and incorrect assumption anyway).

Anyway, we aren't really discussing anything new, so I will bow out of this one.  We just disagree.

I don't think they're taking advantage of the health care system.  Sounds to me like the health care system is trying to take advantage of them.

$3,000 for an emergency room visit and the guy was fine.  Come on.  Improve is an understatement.  What is this hospital trying to pull?

I would try to negotiate for a lower bill and if they don't work with you, I'd tell them where to go stick it.  Hospitals will continue to rip the American people off no matter what (whether you pay the bill or not).

if they don't work with you, I'd tell them where to go stick it. 

This is rather irresponsible advice to be handing out, and I hope the OP doesn't follow it.

You might want to check with the hospital/ask if they give financial assistance. Last year I was in the hospital for a few days and didn't have insurance. My bill was around $10,000. 

But I was able to apply for assistance. It was a ton of paperwork, but in the end I only had to pay around $1,000.

I don't think they're taking advantage of the health care system.  Sounds to me like the health care system is trying to take advantage of them.

$3,000 for an emergency room visit and the guy was fine.  Come on.  Improve is an understatement.  What is this hospital trying to pull?

I would try to negotiate for a lower bill and if they don't work with you, I'd tell them where to go stick it.  Hospitals will continue to rip the American people off no matter what (whether you pay the bill or not).

Sorry, but this is quite silly. You think because they couldn't find out what was wrong he shouldn't have to pay? Um, in order to see what was going on they would have had to run tests, and those are expensive. Like I said before, while it may not have been the diagnosis he wanted it was still a visit to a hospital and you HAVE to be held responsible for the bills  you run up.

I also disagree with the last part of your statement but feel that it isn't worth my time to argue that point.

Saying that $3,000 is a lot for an emergency room visit isn't taking into account just how much goes in to running an emergency room. Tests are expensive, running equipment is expensive, employing competent doctors and nurses is expensive, running the bloody building is expensive. Healthcare isn't like buying a defective product; you don't get to take it back if you don't like it. If tests were run and doctors and nurses worked on a patient, those costs need to get paid even if they can't find what exactly is wrong with you (sometimes they don't in an ER, their job is to stabilize you, then refer you to your regular doctor or a specialist).

How can you honestly say the healthcare system was taking advantage of them with a straight face? Care was given, it should be paid for like everyone else pays for it. I think there needs to be reform, certainly, but that doesn't negate the fact that the bill still needs to be paid. Unpaid bills contribute quite a bit to rising health care costs in the US.

But, give good advice, tell a hospital to stick it. They'll tell you the same thing when they ruin your credit when you don't pay, and you'll be sticking it to every other person who walks through those doors that needs help. Doctors don't come for free; tests are incredibly expensive and involve a lot of equipment (it's not cheap to keep a hospital stocked with everything that's needed for blood work and ECGs and whatnot).

A lot of people in here have prolly dealt with not having insurance, or being disabled--hells, my mom's disabled as well. It's not like we're all in perfect health and just have everything handed to us for free because we don't have a disability or whatever. Treating us like we're children that need to be educated on what it's like to not have insurance is a bit annoying--I outlined in a previous post a situation I was in where I *didn't* have insurance and had to deal with it.

But like I said, rail against the system, because everyone who runs a hospital is some devil who's just looking to screw someone over, and I bet they like to kick puppies while they're at it. Everyone's a victim against some nameless corporate evil it seems like. 

Question has been asked and answered folks.  Many times.