How to write off a $1.2 million hospital bill

From the comments section of the linked story
Mr Carreyrou has a agenda and when we told him his agenda was not ours he told us a different story to get our interview. Mr Carreyrou is from France where he says socialized health care works well. But it is going bankrupt. Also their system may run the numbers and feel that some will not get the care they need based on life span and costs.
A Businessweek article June 2007 states;
In France, the state pays a portion and the wealthy are free to make up the difference. Money, in other words, buys good health—on both sides of the Atlantic.
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/jun2007/gb20070613_921562_page_2.htm
So the many times I was told my husband may not survive, John’s Utopian France health care system may have said, “Sorry too much money to keep him alive because he may not make it?!?!”
Mr Carreyrou’s article is also fraught with misinformation which at some point I hope to clarify. His agenda meant more to him than listening to details and telling our story. John’s self aggrandizing mention that the hospital waived the bill after his phone call is simply not true. They waived it because of limited income during my husband’s disability. I found California Pacific medical center to be the ultimate in professional hospital care. There were some problems and we hope to speak with the administrator about those in the future.
John Carreyrou came into our home for 3 days where my family was still recovering from a horrendous ordeal and as far as I am concerned he violated us once again for his own purpose. Our personal attorney was used in the article and John Carreyrou hid from us they had the same agenda. John knew our story was not about insurance caps. What I told John was that until everyone was accountable for their health care costs in some form, we would continue to pay the huge padded costs and insurance premiums.
Insurance companies and hospitals cannot bear the burden for everyone if they are to stay a viable business entity. Several hospitals have closed due to the uninsured costs. To raise insurance caps and not reform our health care system and the uninsured problem is to only have higher medical costs that will reach the new limits.
John Carreyrou needs to write his own story about how he feels socialized health care will work in this country. The Soylent green, bankrupt European health care system is far from what we need in the US.
My husband wanted his story told. I don’t think he ever thought it would be John’s story instead. My husband says never again.
By the way I was not outraged when CPMC sent us a donation form in the mail. I laughed at it and laughed when I told John Carreyrou about it.
Comment by LDawson – November 29, 2007 at 10:59 am

kookoo,

It is Robin Hood economics so that the hospital can stay afloat (many are not and closing), pay a living wage to highly trained hospital staff, and to treat the poor, uninsured, and illegal aliens for free.

With all due respect, many hospitals and clinics could save a huge amount of money by reducing their administrative costs and cutting the bureaucracy. Granted that nurses, residents and support staff don’t get what they deserve, but six-figure-plus salaries for fund raising executives, risk management attorneys, multiple directors and vice presidents plus a CEO whose only job seems to be repeating the phrase “We did nothing wrong” into a microphone… come on. It isn’t ALL about giving free care to under/uninsured.

“Anonymous said…

kookoo,
knowing that the hospital is ripping off patients, when you’re sick why don’t you just stay home instead? that’d definitely save you some money.

11:26 PM”

Sounds like a good idea. But what will all the “well trained staff” do besides play with themselves?

“What about all the other hard working professionals in this World? Do you hear them bitching night and day?”

When is the last time you had a stat legal consult at 03:00? How about the last time you had your broken down care reparied at 03:00? You don’t have a clue pal.