Injured patients discover hospitals seeking a piece of their accident settlements

[x635 4,066]

Yet another reason why healthcare sucks in this country.

Injured patients discover hospitals seeking a piece of their accident settlements

Liens often are much higher than what hospital would normally be paid for services, lawyers charge.

By Mary Ann Roser AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Published: 12:04 a.m. Monday, March 28, 2011

To this day, Jean Bogardus of Austin doesn't know what hit her.

She was walking in the parking lot of the Onion Creek Country Club on Feb. 7, 2007, when she was run over by a vehicle, leaving her right leg broken in three places.

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/injured-patients-discover-hospitals-seeking-a-piece-of-1353975.html

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

So does this mean the next step is my moms OB/GYN gets 10% of my annual income, I mean after all she did deliver me...

[ny10570 745]

While the up billing is wrong, its standard practice in the industry. Get treatment at an ER without proof of insurance and compare that bill to the what they accept from your insurance company. The hospital is trying to get paid for the uninsured patents they care for.

So the inflated rates aside, the ability to place a lien on a potential settlement is a good thing. No, bvfdjc they cannot come after your wages or other income. In most states, and it seems like Texas is one of them, they can only collect money related to this incident. If she wins the lotto the next day, the hospital is still SOL. You are only responsible up to the amount you received in settlement and in some states punitive damages are not subject to these liens. The alternative is a state like Massachusetts where the victim after his settlement is advised by the lawyer(who already got his cut) to spend all of the settlement money so there's nothing for the hospital to take. Instead he gets a Mercedes, sport bike, and an apartment Boston. My cousin got top notch medical care that literally saved his life at two different hospitals, a flight from Hyannis to Boston and a month of inpatient rehab all on the tax payers back. To anyone against socialized healthcare... its already here.

[NWFDMedic 58]

This is simply how the health care system works. I don't see any surprises here. MCO's negotiate with providers based on their ability to bring groups, just like you can get a group rate if you buy a certain number of tickets to a Yankee game. Medicare and Medicaid only pay what they determine is reasonable and they leverage their patient base and other federal and state funding. Many doctors have stopped accepting Medicare and Medicaid because their reimbursement rates cause them to operate at a loss. Unfortunately, providers have to make up the gap somewhere and it comes from payments from the uninsured, no-fault, and non-participating MCOs.

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

While the up billing is wrong, its standard practice in the industry. Get treatment at an ER without proof of insurance and compare that bill to the what they accept from your insurance company. The hospital is trying to get paid for the uninsured patents they care for.

So the inflated rates aside, the ability to place a lien on a potential settlement is a good thing. No, bvfdjc they cannot come after your wages or other income. In most states, and it seems like Texas is one of them, they can only collect money related to this incident. If she wins the lotto the next day, the hospital is still SOL. You are only responsible up to the amount you received in settlement and in some states punitive damages are not subject to these liens. The alternative is a state like Massachusetts where the victim after his settlement is advised by the lawyer(who already got his cut) to spend all of the settlement money so there's nothing for the hospital to take. Instead he gets a Mercedes, sport bike, and an apartment Boston. My cousin got top notch medical care that literally saved his life at two different hospitals, a flight from Hyannis to Boston and a month of inpatient rehab all on the tax payers back. To anyone against socialized healthcare... its already here.

it was a mere joke at the absurdity of the situation but thank you for the information provided.

[Jybehofd 85]

Yet another reason why healthcare sucks in this country.

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/injured-patients-discover-hospitals-seeking-a-piece-of-1353975.html

well i don't blame the hospital for doing this.. hell i would. but why didn't the insurance company of the driver of the car that hit hear pay her medical bills.. thats why we have car insurance. and to cover pain suffering, and medical bills you can also go after the driver. only makes sense that the hospital get paid if your going to sue someone on the grounds of medical bill payments... ?

[ny10570 745]

The insurance company did pay. The lien is against any settlement won in the case to prevent her from stiffing the hospital.