OK, so it's been a long time since I've posted here and this really isn't Disney related, but it is budget related and I know that you guys are all super smart, so I'm hoping someone can give m some advice
A bit more than a month ago I was installing a new water heater at home and I managed to cut my thumb pretty badly with a box cutter as I was attempting to strip a wire. I went to the emergency room and wound up with 5 stitches and a tetanus shot. I would have gone to urgent care if I had the option, but unfortunately it happened at about 6:30PM on a Sunday night and the ER was the only place that was open.
We have a high deductible insurance plan, so I was expecting a large bill, but I was still a bit surprised when I got a bill in the mail today for $1866 for "Emergency Services". Insurance paid $258 of that, leaving me with $1608 (which is kind of odd too because my insurance is supposed to cover 20%, but what they paid is actually just under 14%. I'll call the insurance company too to figure out what's up there). Unfortunately the bill isn't itemized at all, but to me it certainly seems outrageously high for maybe 20 or 30 minutes of a doctor's time to stitch my thumb and 5 minutes for a nurse to give me a tetanus shot. I'll try to request an itemized bill so that at least I can see how they came up with that number.
I suppose the good news is that I've seen news reports of people getting stuck owing hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars to hospitals, so we're certainly better off than we could be. However, I've also seen reports of people being able to negotiate outrageous hospital bills too and I certainly don't want to pay any more than I need to.
So, all that said, do you guys think that $1866 is reasonable for 5 stitches and a tetanus shot? Do I have any options to try to negotiate this bill down? If so, where do I start?
Thanks much,
Brett