Well, They Got Me

     Back in January, I went into the ER with chest pains.  It turned out to be a false alarm.

     Bills have rolled through insurance and on down to me ever since; my doctor sent me off for a stress test and my part of the bill for that was pretty high.  But I managed.  I paid them.

     By now, everything should be taken care of, right?  All paid?

     Nope.  A bill just arrived from from the hospital, payment due on arrival, with the notation, "Balance remaining after insurance [...] We have been advised that your insurance will not be paying the remaining balance on your account.  If you question this information - please contact your insurance company."

     It is for an amount in excess of six thousand dollars.

     Of course, I don't have it; and it's way over the supposed deductible of my supposed health insurance.  The slight-of-fine print -- new this year! -- is that they apply the deductible not to the incident as a whole, but to every individual bill.

     I don't have six thousand dollars just kicking around.

     There's no way I can pay this quickly.  Here's hoping they'll let me pay it slowly; otherwise, I'll be maxing out my credit card and scrambling to pay it off before the interest eats me alive.

     And the next time I feel bad?  I've learned my lesson.  There's no way I'm going to the ER.  If it's chest pain, I won't even go to doc-in-a-box, because they'll just send you to the ER and bill you for the referral. Nope; if I'm not unconscious, I'm not going.  Maybe not even then.