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I recently went to an emergency room for a very severe migraine. It was so bad I was throwing up in the restroom of the waiting room. I went into the emergency room, put my name on a list, had my blood pressure, heart rate and temp taken and was then told to wait until my name was called. After about 4 hours the migraine started to break. (get better) so i informed the ER desk and left. A few weeks later I received a bill for $600. This is now in collection as I refuse to pay it or give them my insurance information. Their position is that I went there for emergency services and was triaged. Hence the $600 charge. My position is that I went there for treatment of a migraine and did not receive said treatment so I will not pay. Any advice?
You went to the emergency room, and they did start treating you by doing the initial assessment. Emergency rooms are notoriously expensive... they have to be stocked and maintained to deal with everything, hence the "emergency" in the name. If they had actually seen you and diagnosed the migraine, and given you medication for it, you could easily be looking at a several thousand dollar bill for the same treatment that might cost you hundreds if you go to your regular doctor during normal business hours. So, you owe the bill that you have been sent. In future, you may want to look up "after hour" clinics, which will provide treatment for less than the emergency room.
You asked for advice, you didn't ask for detailed explanations of the advice, you asked for advice and that's what I gave you.
YOU provided the facts. Fact 1: you showed up and requested assistance. Fact 2: they did a triage on you. This means they worked on your case. Therefore you owe them. Its like a taxi cab, the minute you step in the cab there is a fee to which mileage is stuck on. I'm surprised they even saw you without your providing your insurance info. But what you should have done is provide your insurance info. Your insurance carrier would then have dealt with the amount. If they felt it an exorbidant charge, they would have handled it. If they didn't pay and the hospital sued, then you might have a case against both the carrier and the hospital.
But based on the facts, you requested service, you received some service therefore you should pay.
You are way out of line, you got very specific advice, not what you wanted to hear, you wanted everyone to tell you not to pay, so ok, don't pay, all they can do is sue you, get a judgement, add late pay fees and court costs and legal fees. So why worry about it.
Ok what do you need to do, call them and negotiate a payment, for a 600 dollar debt I would guess they would settle for about 300, ifyou offered it as payment in full.
But if you let it go to court they will win You went there, you were started in the process, guess what in busy ER it can take 2 to 6 hours to be seen, if you go to Grady Hospital in Atlanta, unless you have a life threatening problem in the evening or night, you may wait all night depends on how many other serouis injuries come in.
If there was a emergancy care facility besides an ER normally they are the best, and had the actual doctor seen you, the bill would have went up 500 to 1000 more, and the ER would have went up another 1000 or more also. A simple trip to a ER wil be several thousand dollars most of the time.
You would or should have provided your health insurance when you signed in, I don't know of any ER that lets you register without seeing the insurance card first. So if you have it, give them the insurance info, if not settle up with them.
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