Help Needed: Ridiculous Medical Bill

[Deactivated] on 07/03/2018 - 00:07

Hi to everyone in the community,

I am a relative newcomer to Australia, got sponsored to come to this beautiful place via work on a work visa. As such, I am not eligible for any medical care and need to settle everything via my private Bupa insurance.

Once before, I visited a GP here at the Crows Nest Medical centre in Sydney. The visit costs AUD 120 for which I am billed up front and my insurance covers a bit more than 50% of that after I lodge the claim. It's something I feel I could live with, especially if I'm unwell, as the quality appeared decent and it's a short walk from my place.

However, I am currently in shock after my second visit there. I went there two weeks ago for a GP visit and I got recommended a proactive generic blood test for general well-being. I went to another room and they took my blood and informed me I will be billed via mail. I paid for my GP visit and left.

I received a bill for the blood test today from a St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney and it's $ 297 !!! I am unsure whether my insurance will cover any of it, 50% at most if I am lucky to have it covered at all.

I wanted to ask for your advice as to what I can do about this. As I was never informed of the cost and I find the cost to be extremely high, I really feel scammed. I think I should have right to dispute it given the circumstance. I am also curious regarding the consequences if I refused to pay it.

Really appreciate your advice here, it's a lot of money for me and I feel really angry about what happened.

Financial

Comments

  • Symbiotic on 07/03/2018 - 00:21
    +2

    What is your home country?

    • follow on 07/03/2018 - 00:23
      -5

      wakanda

    • onetwothreefour on 07/03/2018 - 06:32

      I'm guessing the UK. I was also shocked when I first went to the doctors here and how much it cost.

      • Symbiotic on 07/03/2018 - 07:40
        +6

        If it is the UK then Medicare has reciprocal benefits. OP just has to get a free Medicare card and use bulk billing GPs. Problem solved going forward. If they’re Irish or Finnish etc. then it’s a different story.

        • onetwothreefour on 07/03/2018 - 10:18

          Even if he's on a 457 visa? I thought they had to get insurance because they were not covered by Medicare.

        • Fiximol on 07/03/2018 - 10:31

          @onetwothree: 457 is fine. See here and here

        • onetwothreefour on 07/03/2018 - 11:08

          @Fiximol: it must've changed since my 457 visa, well I guess I was granted mine in 2007 :-)

  • afoveht on 07/03/2018 - 00:53
    +21

    The other day I got invoiced more than that by a plumber who I estimate spent 20min on the job, maybe 30min total travel, and a $20 part.

    Lesson learnt: always get a quote up front. It's too hard to deal with after the fact. Pay and move on.

    I hope you are well.

    • thord on 07/03/2018 - 11:17

      It's getting quite ridiculous. The cost for services are crazy in this country.

      • Scrooge McDuck on 07/03/2018 - 11:36
        +1

        I think thevofa's case was more a matter of the power imbalance between the tradesperson and consumer. The tradesperson knows where the consumer lives, will likely never see the consumer again and the consumer doesn't have much recourse or an ability to leave a review.

        If there isn't already, there should be a review site for tradespeople. That would deter tradespeople from unscrupulous billing, incentivise good work/punctuality/service, etc.

        • thord on 07/03/2018 - 13:24

          Trades are just expensive in general these days due to the housing and construction boom. It's gotten to ridiculous levels where the charges for plumbers, electricians, bricklayers, etc. are incredibly inflated. Compare the trade rates in the US or EU to here.

    • Scrooge McDuck on 07/03/2018 - 12:03
      +2

      I'd also like to suggest that all pet owners enquire as to the cost of services at their local veterinarians well ahead of time. If you have an emergency and your emotions are charged, your decisions might be imprudent.

  • dcep on 07/03/2018 - 01:02
    +3

    welcome and get use to it

    you'll get more bill shocks in future

  • zonra on 07/03/2018 - 02:01
    +6

    Live and learn.
    Never ever order anything without knowing the cost/price.
    If the information wasn't given, ask for it, there is no obligations for hands-holding individuals through every aspect of life.
    I doubt that you can dispute the cost, and would very, very strongly advise you against ignoring and/or refusing to pay it, considering you are on a visa.
    I don't know if things've changed since, but back in the days when I was still on visas, I did try to be on my best behaviours in terms of debts and the laws.

    • Scrooge McDuck on 07/03/2018 - 10:04
      +1

      I don't know if things've changed since, but back in the days when I was still on visas, I did try to be on my best behaviours in terms of and the laws.

      And now?

      • zonra on 07/03/2018 - 11:04
        +1

        I still pay my taxes, nice try ATO!

  • xuqi on 07/03/2018 - 02:27
    +2

    I don't understand:

    "I got recommended a proactive generic blood test for general well-being."

    Are/were you suffering from an actual / suspected illness for which the GP required a blood test to help determine a possible cause?

    Doctor's aren't gods (although some like to think they are), so don't be afraid to question them and outright refuse a 'general well-being' test. People seem to forget how helpless doctors were in general in treating infections till the relatively very recent discovery of Penicillin.

    If you can't afford something don't feel pressured in to it, or be embarrassed to speak up.

  • 17833 on 07/03/2018 - 03:34
    +10

    Did you expect the blood test to be free? In your situation and if money is tight as you claim, one should be very prudent, ask and research the cost of something prior to thinking about it later.
    Why ridulous? The phlebotomist has to be paid. Probably a courier required to transport your sample to a laboratory. Lab Technician labour and use of expensive equipment. Someone else probably involved to email results back to the medical centre.
    Advice: Pay the bill as you are obligated to do for service rendered and move on, learn from your mistake. If you are planning an overseas trip later this year you are in a better financial position than many other people.

    • Scrooge McDuck on 07/03/2018 - 10:13

      Not to mention the fact that there isn't much, if any, incentive for the lab to keep its fees competitive since most consumers have the full amount paid by Medicare.

    • Baysew on 07/03/2018 - 10:22

      I am also curious regarding the consequences if I refused to pay it.

      The fee would also reflect the risk to the supplier of non-payment of the account.

  • Samsungnote10 on 07/03/2018 - 04:32
    +5

    Wait till you get quotes for braces for teeth….

  • garetz on 07/03/2018 - 04:56
    +6

    If you are concerned about what something is going to cost, maybe you should ask how much that cost is before agreeing to do it, pretty basic economics 101.

  • chumlee on 07/03/2018 - 06:44
    +1

    Consider giving blood to raise money

    • [Deactivated] on 07/03/2018 - 08:12
      +1

      Illegal in Australia.

    • Quantumcat on 07/03/2018 - 14:30

      Blood donations aren't paid here. Though you usually get a yummy milkshake and bickies.

      • [Deactivated] on 10/03/2018 - 20:16
        +1

        I used to love the milkshakes. I think the quality of the after snacks has gone down hill in recent years.

    • c64 on 11/03/2018 - 08:26
      +1

      the only reward i got for giving blood to the red cross was endless email/sms/voice spam. needless to say i won't make the same mistake again. and if you are inclined to donate blood, don't give them your real number - buy a throw-away sim and give them that number.

  • elgrande on 07/03/2018 - 07:45
    +1

    Chalk it up to experience I guess.

  • NotAnAudiophile on 07/03/2018 - 07:59

    the biggest rort is not actually medical due to Medicare, its actually Dental. Just had 2 wisdoms pulled in Thailand and it cost 25% of what it would cost here. Top surgery, incredible service and great follow up.

    • shaybisc on 07/03/2018 - 09:14

      Where at? I'm compiling recommendations for my own little dental tour someday, which I will probably chicken out of and pay through the nose here.

      But actually I didn't pay that much for the removal of an impacted wisdom tooth by a superbly credentialled dental surgeon at Port Macquarie- well he had a lot of letters after his name.

      • NotAnAudiophile on 07/03/2018 - 09:20
        +1

        I did mine at BIDC in bangkok - google them up. Equivalent of close to $400 AUD for 2 extractions - 1 simple and another complex surgical due to impacted lower molar.

        I might need a root canal too or even an implant, which I'll probably do back there in the months ahead. I used to go to BKK for work every month in the past though, so I'm familiar with the place.

        • shaybisc on 07/03/2018 - 09:45

          Thanks

        • movieman on 08/03/2018 - 17:53
          -1

          Oh, I've got an impacted tooth…
          Australian dentist wants about $450.

          Any recommendations for how to pick a good one?

          Heading to Phillipines later this year.

        • movieman on 08/03/2018 - 17:53

          Oh, I've got an impacted tooth…
          Australian dentist wants about $450.

          Any recommendations for how to pick a good one?

          Heading to Phillipines later this year.

        • [Deactivated] on 09/03/2018 - 09:54
          +2

          @movieman: $450 is not much money. Don’t be a fool.

    • [Deactivated] on 07/03/2018 - 10:29
      -4

      Mate, I’m not being rude, but you are a complete moron for having medical/dental work done in Thailand. Medical tourism is crazy, no respected Doctor or Dentist would work in a country like Thailand or Vietnam, unless they have been struck off. The standards are incredibly low, as is liability. The amount of deaths associated with medical tourism is astronomical. The corrective produces people endure here by proper doctors because of poor work done is also huge. I hope that for your sake you didn’t get a general anesthetic while they did the procedure. While it may have turned out fine for you, it hasn’t for many others. Health is not something you should go cheap on.

      • NotAnAudiophile on 07/03/2018 - 10:40

        Just sharing my own experience. As they say, caveat emptor.

        • [Deactivated] on 07/03/2018 - 13:03
          -1

          I don’t think you should be promoting it.

      • slewis69au on 07/03/2018 - 13:19
        +2

        Maybe you're being downvoted on attitude (calling him a complete moron was a little OTT).

        I also think some of your criticisms are a little harsh, it is possible to get quality treatment in other countries - thank goodness or we'd all be stuffed if we got sick on holidays.

        However your basic point around Medical Tourism is valid - it's a risk you take. Like the guy who got shipped home from Malaysia with large holes in him and died within 24 hours of flying home.

        http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-18/medical-tourism-mother…

        I know there are vested interests and Australian Surgeons have every reason to defend their costs and processes but i still find the idea of going overseas to have something like that done terrifying. After operation follow up is what scares me the most, 3/6 months later what do you do if there's an issue?

        I know someone who had their teeth capped in turkey on the recommendation of their sister and came home a week later - two weeks after that most of his bottom jaw was one Giant Abscess. And because he didn't want to admit he made a mistake he left it way too long to seek treatment and ended up with Bone issues in his Jaw on top of everything else!

  • Youfah Mizzum on 07/03/2018 - 08:40

    Sounds like a fair price.
    Pay up and move on.

  • The tiger on 07/03/2018 - 09:09
    +1

    Don’t feel embarrassed by asking the cost before you go ahead with any service you are going to have. Big health insurance companies always advise their customers to get a quote or find out the cost before they are admitted into the hospitals they choose.

  • pao2x on 07/03/2018 - 09:09

    I was in the same situation as you before. The insurance still covers some of the blood tests up to the medicare schedule rebate.
    The trouble is you need to have paid for it before claiming insurance so if you want to know how much you will get back go to your insurers and ask them how much you are going to get back.

  • Hardlyworkin on 07/03/2018 - 09:12
    +1

    I agree, it was rather ridiculous that you didn't ask the price beforehand!

  • The tiger on 07/03/2018 - 09:17
    +4

    Hi, Spring. under the circumstances and as you had done with the service and especially you are on visa now, please go and pay that bill. Treat it as a lesson. Proceed with your new life here, a beautiful and a more than reasonable country. This is your first negative point you got but there are many positive points you will get in this country in future.

  • [Deactivated] on 07/03/2018 - 10:09
    +3

    Scam = product/services not as described or not delivered.

    You were not scammed.

    Depending on where you came from, the blood test may be for something specific but the doctor may not want to alarm you. For example, some parts so the world has a very high incidence of Hep A or severe under diagnosis of chronic diseases such as diabetes. If it came back negative, your doctor may have clarified further on why he/she ordered the test. If it is positive, well, great! You're well on your way to be treated.

    If you refused to pay, it will be considered theft. You'll be pursued and as a sponsored worker, I wouldn't rock that boat.

    $297 is pretty average. The tests done here are expensive as the logistics for blood work is taken seriously and is checked by a pathologist. Samples are meticulously handled.

    Ps. It just occurred to me that sponsored workers have to undergo a physical examination which requires blood work (if memory serves). Your doctor may not have known. From the sounds of it, neither did you (unless the sponsored visa part was an unnecessary lie).

  • godofpizza on 07/03/2018 - 10:23
    +3

    welcome to Australia mate

  • payton on 07/03/2018 - 10:29
    +1

    If money is tight, you never thought to ask how much it would cost? I know, you get people rolling their eyes when you ask but thats safer to ignore than the bill

  • [Deactivated] on 07/03/2018 - 10:34
    +2

    I think OP has a really point here.

    Maybe I'm missing something, but going to see a health practitioner is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.

    Some people are used to it, but I've found with just about any health practitioner that it's very much them "choosing their own adventure" in terms of what you get billed.

    You're treated like scum if you ask the price upfront, some places won't even quote a price, and they charge you to provide a quote for treatment. But it isn't being a penny-pincher, it's just wanting to know if it is going to be $50 or $500 or, in the case of treatment, $5000.

    Check up at dentist, boom $450 later for a scale and clean, periodontist, boom $550 for 20 minute consult and treatment plan.

    Not everyone has the time or inclination to phone multiple places, speak to a multiple receptionists for 5-10 minutes, and compare to make sure they're not being taken for a ride.

    The only advice I can offer OP is:
    - Compare if you have the time
    - Get the item numbers prior to seeing them, then look them up on Bupa's website/phone them to see how much you get back for each item number

    • Scrooge McDuck on 07/03/2018 - 11:30

      but going to see a health practitioner is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.

      Every box of chocolates I've ever come across has had a legend describing each chocolate.

  • Seraphin7 on 07/03/2018 - 10:37

    Did you ask for the price of the service before it was delivered? No. Lesson learned.

    Here's the other lesson … the medical industry is trying to make a profit just like all others. That's not to say that the test was not warranted, but the industry will always suggest "one more" treatment/test rather than "one less". You need to ensure that you want to participate in whatever your treating doctor is suggesting, accepting that you are either paying for these things, or that you are taking the risk of not having it.

  • FirstWizard on 07/03/2018 - 10:39

    Usually, if you're on the basic insurance coverage, which is mandatory to get a work visa, they pretty much only cover you for accidents. They do have other benefits like GP visits but are limited. E.g. off the top of my head Medibank used to pay the Medicare amount for GP visits, and 85% for specialists.

    However, most private insurers that have work visa covers, have a recommended list of clinics. They may not always be close to you, but usually, there is no gap even for work visas. If you think this is going to happen often, you may have to consider a comprehensive cover. However, these are much more expensive than the price a resident would pay for PHI.

    It has been long since I've had my last work visa, so you may have to check if it's still the case

  • dust on 07/03/2018 - 10:41
    +3

    There are probably some Americans reading this thinking what a bargain!

  • c64 on 07/03/2018 - 11:00
    +1

    i'm curious. what is a "proactive generic blood test"? elft? cholesterol? do you mean genetic instead of generic?

    • dcep on 07/03/2018 - 15:19

      he meant genital

    • [Deactivated] on 07/03/2018 - 15:41

      A genetic marker test for a full range of hereditary diseases, and of course we would be looking at a large scope here since we are already taking a stand in the dark, would cost thousands. It's a hail Mary move when someone is circling the toilet and doctors have already "bust a move" once too many times.

      My guess is a cholesterol, Hba1c, bone density, liver function… Old people test. Actually scratch bone density, just remembered we are limiting to blood.

  • jm48 on 07/03/2018 - 12:19
    -3

    Stay away from doctors, nurses and hospitals if at all possible.
    Half the time you will come out worse than when you went in.

    • [Deactivated] on 07/03/2018 - 15:36

      Unless you really have a problem, then go see the guys the homeopathy snake oil sellers go to - actual doctors.

  • 87percent on 07/03/2018 - 15:03

    Have you asked if they have a payment plan you could go on?

  • modsec802 on 08/03/2018 - 07:56

    If you think $297 is a ridiculous medical bill you’ve got a lot coming. We recently had a $80,000 bill for a stay in ICU for my wife.

  • lainey13 on 08/03/2018 - 23:05

    You think that's bad? Try all that in the US. Or get seriously sick (cardiac issues, transplants etc).

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