A question about hospital billing and write-offs.

ohnoyoudidnt

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Mon May-23-11 06:21 PM
Original message

A question about hospital billing and write-offs.

If an uninsured person goes to the ER and has subsequent treatments that total lets say $20k and doesn't pay the bill. Does the hospital just write off that 20k on their taxes basically meaning the government pays 30 percent (or so) of the bill for them?

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Warpy

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Mon May-23-11 06:22 PM
Response to Original message

1. No, the hospital hounds the patient who didn't pay,

Edited on Mon May-23-11 06:47 PM by Warpy

garnishing his wages, putting liens on his property so he can't sell, and generally making his life hell until he agrees to a payment plan. Some hospitals have even jailed deadbeats.

If the patient is totally destitute, then the hospital social workers get him instant Medicaid and that pays the bills.

Writeoff, my ass.

On edit: http://www.wikilaw3k.org/forum1/Law-Ethics/Can-you-go-to-jail-for-unpaid-medical-bills-544546.htm

http://www.hospitaldebtjustice.org/rights.html

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Name removed

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Mon May-23-11 06:41 PM
Response to Reply #1

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

Shagbark Hickory

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Mon May-23-11 06:24 PM
Response to Original message

2. Many people forget to bring their photo IDs.

ahem ahem.

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Donnachaidh

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Mon May-23-11 06:26 PM
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3. the hospital gives the bill to credit collection agencies to hound the patient

IIRC, that agency is usually paid something like 40% of the bill (if it's collected, that is) as it's fee. The hospital lists it as a charge off IIRC.

If that uninsured person cannot pay the bill they should contact the hospital and ask if they have any charity programs that might be able to cover the bill for them. Worse case scenario - tghe hospital can say no.

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Obamanaut

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Mon May-23-11 06:27 PM
Response to Original message

4. While you are healthy, and before an emergency occurs, find out

which hospitals in the area are teaching hospital or not-for-profit hospitals, and it may be that they have some sort of sliding fee schedule based on income.

When you need to go to the ER, that's where you should go.

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Dreamer Tatum

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Mon May-23-11 06:31 PM
Response to Original message

5. No, the hospital writes it off as a receivable.

It remains on the balance sheet as a nonperforming asset.

It doesn't come off the tax return, as it were, on a dollar for dollar basis. In fact, most hospitals create a reserve in their financials for nonperforming self-pay receivables.

If enough people don't pay, the hospital loses too much money, and it closes.

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ohnoyoudidnt

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Mon May-23-11 08:31 PM
Response to Reply #5

7. TY

Edited on Mon May-23-11 08:31 PM by ohnoyoudidnt

This is the kind of answer what I was looking for.

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