When the neurologist recommended an MRI, I knew it was going to be costly. My options were: 1) forgo the tests and just assume that my increasingly freaky migraines were not related to a brain tumor or 2) know they were not. I wanted to know. So did my husband. And we were vaguely aware that knowing was going to dent the ole pocketbook.
What we didn’t quite grasp was that it would dent it to the tune of $1,500. After insurance.
I’ve been staring at the online claim summary, trying to do one of those Magic Eye things where if I stare hard enough the real number would magically appear, floating over the backdrop, gloriously containing one fewer zero. And it doesn’t. Though, frankly, that shouldn’t surprise me since I have heretofore been unsuccessful at discerning any Magic Eye poster ever.
Fifteen hundred dollars for the brain doctor to say, “Well, things look good.” He found some (for lack of a more technical term) scarring consistent with migraines, then turned me loose and told me to come back in six months. If in six months he wants another test, we’re gonna have words. About bills. And how fancy brain doctors are probably way better suited to paying these fancy bills than very unfancy marketing and computer programmer folks.
One mortgage payment + one half of a mortgage payment = 30 minutes in a really loud tube under a blanket of insufficient thickness.
The hell. If I were less than fine, I wouldn’t resent it, I’m sure. I’d have lots of other medical bills to resent along with it, so you know, drop in the bucket. But as it is, I’m fine and wondering if these people have payment plans. Surely. I mean, what can do they do if (ha ha. read: when) I can’t cough it up? Repo the MRI? Telepathically cast lesions onto my brain?
That would be a skill, now wouldn’t it? Like Vader crushing that one dude’s throat with his mind.
Here’s where I talk about healthcare reform but, like so many other things that are messed up with this country, it’s sorta a big, fat duh.
In other, much less whiny news, I have worn lipstick all day long today, just like a real grown up. It’s not even flavored! How’s that for leaf turning? It’s like I won’t even need any New Years resolutions – I’m the model of self improvement a full month early. Bam!
They totally have payment plans. I went to the ER last January and it ended up costing me $3000 with insurance. UGH. So I feel your pain. But they’re totally cool with monthly payments. Just call them up and set something up once you get your bill.
Yes, they’ll totally take payments. Just give ‘em a call and set something up. So many people don’t pay their medical bills, if you’re willing to pay, they’re willing to work with you. One thing I wanted to share, SOMETIMES these places will give you a discount if you pay the balance in full. But you have to ask! One of our medical centers will give us a 10% discount for paying the balance in full. My hobby seems to be depleting our HSA account, so we’ve learned a few tricks along the way. Good luck, Heather. And yay for no brain tumors!
I had a $6000 bill (with insurance) for a half day at the hospital. Not only are they totally okay with payments, but I had such a measly ongoing monthly payment I had been paying for about 7 months when they more than halved the bill as long as I paid the remainder in full.
They DEFINITELY will do payment plans. I sent you an email or DM back when you first mentioned the insurance trouble. Trust me, MRIs every 3 months because your doctor can’t quite figure out what’s going on and wants to take another look? It adds up. To a lot. Not that I was TRYING to glow or anything…
I’m currently on a payment plan for the last MRI + MRV + MR-whatever-other-fancy-brain-test blah, blah, blah. Oh, and look, I get to go see them again in January. When my deductible starts all over again.
In January? I’ll tell them they can hold off on the MRI for another 6 months. At least until I get this one bill finally taken care of.
I appreciate their concern, but it’s frustrating when you are still wanting to scoop out your brain with a spoon to try and get relief, and they can’t give you answers. Not so fancy now, are we doc?
I’m blessed, and grateful, to have health insurance. Doesn’t mean it still doesn’t hurt. Ow.
The place I get my MRIs were really helpful to me in setting up the payment plans, and even delaying a payment if I needed to. No discounts, but at least they are understanding.
I feel your pain. Really. I wish you and your spreadsheet the best.
Um, yeah. What they said. Glad all is well.
And yes, our healthcare system is so broken. Its ridiculous that a lot people have to make the decision of eating vs. going to the doctor. Healthcare shouldn’t bankrupt people!!
Payments without interest!! As long as you pay. (And make sure, they don’t give you a letter when they send it to collections, I’m dealing with one when a payment from my bank showed up a week late (!) and they didn’t bother to inform me it was at collections when I sent the next two payments! Grr)
Aye. I assume you can’t negotiate when you use insurance? That’s the price mine allows total. So that’s crazy!
Ugh, doctors just don’t get it! Once, at my gyno, I asked about diaphragms and she’s like, “Let’s just fit you for one. But I don’t think I have the right size. Let’s try this one. Nope, doesn’t fit. I think you need the one that I don’t have.”
Well, wasn’t I surprised two weeks later when I got a bill for $200. Turned out that it was considered a “surgical procedure” and not covered by my insurance.
Why can’t they just tell us upfront how much things cost!?! If I’d known, I wouldn’t have done it! It should be like a really creepy menu!
Wow, you don’t have great health insurance – drat! I will echo the others to say that yes, every medical place that I have been to or have heard of will totally take monthly payments but be sure to call and work if out before you make a partial payment.
Yes, call them and ask for help. Our income qualified me for 40% off my $800 cat scan.
I’m glad to hear that the MRI did not reveal anything truly tragic –
– but sorry to hear about the bill for finding out that everything is OK…. 
Definitely check on payment plans – there is this thing called “Care Credit” available for health care-related stuff (dentists have it, at least), that might be an option, too. I think there is a 6-months interest-free deal with that, but I’m not sure.
Good for you on the lipstick, though – mine wears off after a very short time, and I never even check to see if it needs reapplying…..
I showed up to say, absolutely there are payment plans, but it looks like I was beaten to the punch. The hospital billing folks will be more than happy to help you work out a plan. They prefer payment to no payment at all!
Have you ever researched extra magnesium supplements?
I am around you age (30) and have had migraines for the past couple of years. TERRIBLE! I have had the MRI, which was fine, and weighed the pros and cons of prescription drugs. (Knowing the risks of the some preventative medicines on birth defects, I have cautiously declined on daily medication.) Not being much of a supplement guru, I was turned onto magnesium supplements from a fellow migraine sufferer. I have tried magnesium for most of the last year and I have seen an improvement. Although it is not a fix, I have less migraines, so I’ll take it as a success.
I know that my migraines causes might be different from your own, but I know how terrible they are and can’t keep myself from trying to help!
Just another person chiming in to say that YES, there are payment plans. I totally had one set up for a several-thousand dollar hospital bill. The women on the phone were super helpful; I’m guessing they get yelled at a lot, so it must’ve been nice to have someone call and say “hey, i want to pay my bill! What can I do?”
They asked me how much I could afford each month and we discussed what that would mean in terms of when the bill would be paid. I’m 99% sure there weren’t even fees; there definitely wasn’t interest.
As someone living in the United Kingdom, I am so very very shocked by your account of the charges for that half hour’s investigation (and thank goodness it was all good news!). Over here I would have got that treatment the day after I went to see my doctor and it would have cost me nothing. That is what a National Health Service is all about! It does me quite a lot of good to realise how very very favoured we are. Mark you, we pay quite a lot of tax !
I also have set up payment plans for medical bills. I called to set something up and they basically asked me what the minimum amount I promise to give them every month and I gave them a number and they were ok with it. I of course tried to pay more then that amount but I gave them something I knew we could afford at the time. Good luck and glad there is no brain tumor or anything!
Glad to hear everything is OK. Absolutely on the payment plans. I’ve had to do it, yes no interest & usually, the acct/collection people at the hospital are VERY understanding b/c their salaries are FAR less than brain doctors too!
They will definitely have payment plans. And there’s no interest. Just work something out with them, and as long as you’re making a monthly payment (say $50) then they can’t/won’t send it to collections.
I’d like to suggest something that it appears no one else has suggested: migraines can be caused by a hormone imbalance. You might consider getting yours checked, to rule it out as a cause if for no other reason.
I must also emphasize that if you do get your hormones checked, especially the reproductive ones (which are often the culprit), make sure you get the SALIVA test. Blood tests DON’T give an accurate reading. As someone who has been through hormone hell more times than I can count, I can attest to the fact that things did not balance out for me until I got an accurate reading earlier this year.
I’m more than happy to discuss this with you “offline” if you want details or help finding a doctor who does the saliva test (not many do). I can point you in the right direction if you want to do this. Let me know!
In the meantime, I hope you determine the cause of your migraines soon, whatever it may be.
Feeling your pain. Recently I was having neck pain. When the medical testing people warned me that it would be about $200 in co-pays for the test it wasn’t a happy moment, but do-able. What they didn’t warn me about – and I’m not sure how I could have know from the giganto insurance handbook – was the other $2,300. For a few tests. That basically said I had nothing really wrong. But they could keep testing.
They looked into your head and didn’t see anything? Shouldn’t you be worried? Meanwhile, ask for a payment plan and stick to it.
Man, I was all pumped up to tell you that “YES” you can ask for a payment plan, especially since I used to work at an MRI facility (not hospital). But from the comments, I’m guessing you figured it out
I work as a nurse in a specialty clinic….the best of the best…the end of the line for many patients. Pulmonology. We cover everything from chronic cough, to reflux disease, to lung cancer and worse. What you experienced with your MRI is what I call CYA Medical Care. As in Cover Your A**. There is no explanation really, but one must cover ones butt. Miss that one diagnosis and the medical practice is a goner. It is so unfortunate. It is beyond discouraging. We just don’t have all the answers/fix/explanation. But we will test you to the very best of your medical insurance and financial limits. CYA
Our office takes payments. Any payments. Just pay us. We all need our paycheck too.
I should add that the frustration of not being able to offer a definitive medical explanation of a patient’s pain is beyond frustrating to nurses and physicians. We simply want to help. We believe no one should have to live in pain, discomfort, or without some kind of answer. I am so sorry for your pain.
Food sensitivities can create a whole host of side effects including migraines. Sensitivities can change over time and are often to seemingly healthy foods. A simple finger prick test for a small blood sample can be done at home and sent off to a lab for a fee of about $300. This test (IgG Food Sensitivity) is not currently covered by medical insurance, but is usually allowable as a FLEX account option. I am currently in the process of working through my food sensitivities and ‘have noticed a big difference in my well-being, and know of many people who’ve greatly improved their health with this knowledge. I’m happy to discuss this subject with you, or anyone else interested, further. You can contact me through my website: http://www.roseWELLis.com
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/pain-management/headaches/7-natural-cures-for-migraines
I had headaches nearly every day (literally) for years, and migraines frequently. I had seen neurologists, massage therapists, all kinds of stuff, and nothing had ever helped. I gave up trying to figure out it and just popped Advil like it was candy, much to the chagrin of my liver I’m sure. Randomly, I went to a chiropractor in NYC who had an x-ray done of my back (his standard procedure before he would work on someone) and as it turned out I have very mild scoliosis. So mild that nobody would have diagnosed it, but it was creating enough of a small bend in my spine that it was crunching some nerves. I had some intense chiro sessions for a few months, eventually dwindling to once a week, then once a month, and now I just go back every few months. I haven’t had a migraine since 2005, and I now only get headaches when I drink too much. I had been to chiropractors before, two actually, for unrelated things, but neither of them had ever taken an x-ray.
My point is, figuring out the cause can be incredibly frustrating and costly, but hopefully you will stumble upon it at some point and until then, don’t rule out any possible form of treatment/diagnosis, even if it seems unlikely!
So sorry about the big bill, but my cousin had same test. They found an inoperable brain tumor and gave him 2 mos. prognosis. Count your blessings with the pennies you send. . .
oh, sweetheart. hugs to your cousin.
Firstly, I’m glad to hear you’re ok! Second, move to Canada. We’re nice, have good coffee, and you don’t have to pay $1,500 for an MRI courtesy of our publicly funded healthcare system.
i was charged $2000 at the ER without insurance after migraines so bad i vomited for a day and lost my hearing for several days. and even after the MRI, still no conclusion or solution.
you would think that someone with insurance would get a smaller bill after all the monthly payments and co-payments already paid.
I want to live where all these people live with the payment plans. My neurologist recommended I get an MRI to rule out MS 3 years ago. My insurance at the time had a handy calculator on their website that figured my out of pocket cost. $1800. Um, the factors of being single, not a great income and a mortgage motivated me to call the hospital beforehand to check out payment plans. Responsible right? Yeah- must be paid in full in 30 days or it would get turned over to a debt collector. Now, I try to have a decent savings account but I had just bought a house. And had undergone a serious of other tests before the doctor decided I needed an MRI. They didn’t take care credit either. So, the MRI still has never happened.
A common cause of my migraines is dehydration. You might try drinking a gatorade or some other sports drink if you can catch it early. Works for me most times. With the exception of the hormone times… ugh, those are the worst.
Hope you’re feeling good, as well as the rest of your household. Twas just thinkin’ about ya….thought I’d stop and wish you and yours a very happy holiday season and a lovely, healthy and wealthy New Year!
Stay well.
My mum often gets migraines. Really bad ones. So she has a prescription she can take. We live in Canada so we don’t pay out of pocket for MRI’s. You might consider seeing a naturopathic doctor. My mom went to one a couple of years ago and once she changed what she ate (no orange juice- one of the number 1 causes of migraines, no gluten, no fried foods, nothing canned, very little or no sugar, no coffee) her migraines stopped. It was kinda amazing actually.
After getting them every couple of weeks, my husband and I changed our diet and I haven’t had one since. But I think it’s more of a combination of things that causes them. Like, stress + poor diet = migraine. It almost wouldn’t matter what I ate if I had a particularly stressful episode. But it’s nice not having them lately!
don’t forget the water. ohhhh the water. dehydrations always gets my migraines started when i’m too busy to remember to drink enough.
i’m too young to be falling apart!
Wishing you a very happy Christmas, Heather – all the way from south east London (where it’s cold and rainy at the moment – but we’re about to head off to the Isle of Lewis in the outer Hebridees for a Scottish family Christmas up there where it be a lot lot colder and rainier). Hope you are both well and the cats aren’t giving too much trouble. And all the best for the new year as well.
Miss you Fish, hope you are doing ok!
Yes, Fish, we miss you!! Hope you are well.
Happy Holidays! Miss reading your posts!
Thinking of you! Hope all is well.
I live in Canada and I sometimes forget how fortunate we are.
We may pay a higher tax, but if I add up the tax I paid this year and add up the medical bills I would have paid without our public health insurance, the tax doesn’t begin to cover what the bills would have been.
Ditto! Where’s our fish? We miss you!!!
Happy New Year to you and your fabulous husband! How are your ‘self improvements’ going?
Nothing but awesome for 2012.
Happy 2012 Fish! Miss hearing about your life. Hope things are crazy good!
I hope all is well and that you haven’t been blogging due to too much fun and holiday cheer….because that would be just fine. But I think we are all worried that all is not well since you’ve been off-line for so long. Is everything OK? We care about you….
The cost is always worth it, trust me. I went to the ER numerous times in 2011 and saw a bunch of specialist to be diagnosed with MS. Not super pleased with the diagnosis, but at least I know what it is. And if I’d had to pay the same to find out that there was no MS and I was perfectly fine? I would suck up that cost with no regrets.