On Baby A's birthday, the c-section surgery went as planned. I walked into the OR around 9:30am and was pushed out around 2 hours later. W was instructed to wait outside while the team was getting me prepared for anesthesia. He then got invited to come in and sat next to me while the team worked on getting Baby A out of me 😂. W was a good DJ and Baby A was born while Taylor Swift's Shake It Off was being played. So...did I feel any pain during this life-changing surgery? No, I didn't. I had a spinal block. I never felt any type of pain during the surgery. Getting the anesthesia injected - however - was the most uncomfortable part of the surgery. There was a lot of pressure. I felt my back being pulled or pushed, or something. It just felt very uncomfortable, not painful, but very uncomfortable. It was also hard to try leaning toward the source of that uncomfortableness. Learning to relax while being uncomfortable was a very hard thing to do. But it was necessary. Once it...
So earlier this month I shared our recent frustration over a claim summary letter received from our insurance. I didn't mention the name of the lab we had my blood sent to for the genetic test. Well, I no longer want to avoid mentioning the name because it gave us so much unnecessary headache. The lab that we used for the test is called Progenity.
When I first wrote about our recent experience with the lab and the whole annoying billing process (post shared on March 6), I mentioned I received a couple missed calls from the company. So I called back and the female representative I spoke with told me that my account balance has been paid off - it showed $0 balance on the screen she was looking at. I thought that's it.
Well, yesterday, March 12, we received another bill in the mail, from Progenity again. It showed the same amount as if we have not paid - except we have confirmation from our credit card statement showing that same amount has been paid on Feb 28. We also have a confirmation email from when it was paid. The bill on the letter we got in the mail yesterday shows it was billed on March 5.
Hubby emailed their financial services last night asking for a statement. Not fully trusting that the financial services will respond in a timely manner, hubby called Progenity this morning to get confirmation, once again, that the account balance is $0. Over the phone, we asked that they send an email like a statement showing there's $0 balance. Well, the rep said she can't, though she said she could send a $0 statement to us in the mail. Okay, so we said "yes, we'd like that." About two hours later, we got an email from a rep from the financial services. In that email, the rep responed to hubby's email from the night before. The financial services rep apologized for the second billing letter and wrote "The records at our Customer Care Department has not been updated. Enclosed you will find a $0.00 balance receipt for the payment received and the balance of your account." The email came with an attachment showing $0 on a statement that was created today. So...the rep on the phone this morning just didn't want to do this or couldn't? The rep on the phone said she couldn't send it over email (no reason provided), well, somehow the financial services was able to send us this electronic copy of the receipt. Maybe the financial services people have more clearance to pull up statements? Whatever the reason why that rep on the phone couldn't send us the electronic statement, we are glad that the other rep was able to do so. Really, whew, what a relief that was!
For anyone who might be going through what we have gone through with the lab (Progenity or other labs), don't give up. Don't pay right away. Try to ignore the letter from the insurance (even tho it's hard), wait for the bill from the lab and then contact the lab. I definitely feel the way it has happened and how it got resolved seem very WEIRD. I think it's very shady that the quoted price from the family doctor ($99) and the lab ($2247, rep from lab told me this is the out of pocket price) and what was billed to the insurance ($7509) are so off. Several internet searches revealed many people have also had their insurance billed for a crazy amount of money that is way too different than what they heard from their doctor (some were told $99, $150, $200). In the end, we all seem to have something shared in common: claim summary from the insurance freaked us out, actual payment was less than what's written on the claim summary, and we had to call the lab to sort it out (some people described it like calling in & mention a code [price heard from doctor] to get a discount).
I can't help but to think it's like the lab just bills whatever outrageous amount they want and see how much the insurance can cover (if someone has fantastic insurance and actually covers it, imagine how much $$ this lab can make). When a patient needs to pay whatever the insurance doesn't cover, it's like the lab almost always bill more than what was quoted at the doctor's office first (an agreement the provider has with the lab). If the patient calls back and mentions the quoted price from the doctor, then the lab drops the price to the agreed price. If the patient doesn't call back and refer back to the quoted price from the doctor, it's like it's the patient's loss for paying what's printed on the bill statement.
Also, it's super unacceptable to me that they didn't send any sort of itemized list that shows what exactly has been done and how much each was charged to go with the bill statement (name of the DNA test, cost for each of the different steps of the test). I mean, I think it's only fair to get an itemized list like you would at any car shop (everything's itemized eve for an oil change...). When we spoke to the rep on the phone on Feb 19 (yep, we were sorting this out on a holiday - President's Day), the rep told us it's just $7509.78 for the whole test. She couldn't give us an itemized list to explain how things got added up to this number. She said she could only see it was just billed as one item - hereditary cancer screening, $7509.78, and that's what was billed to the insurance. Well, the male rep I spoke with earlier that same day told me it's $2247 out of pocket. Back in November last year, our family doctor reassured it was only going to be $99 if paid out of pocket. You see, these numbers aren't just off by a couple dollars, they're off by grands. Add to the fact there is no itemized list to justify whatever the reason there is to set the price, it seems weird and too mushy here.
It took exactly 3 months and 2 weeks from the day I had my blood drawn for this hereditary cancer screening to the day we saw the $0 balance on the statement. It took 2 months for the lab to send out that first billing statement. I think the timeframe is ridiculous. Maybe it's just me, but I think it can be a lot better and a lot of the frustration and uncertainty could be avoided.
Anywhos, if my doctor mentions or recommends me to use the lab again in the future, I think I'd rather pay $1400 to hop on a plane and do whatever tests she recommends back at home in Taiwan. For a fraction of what the lab billed to the insurance, tests there are more comprehensive and results come out way faster than in the states.
Naturally, after weeks of frustration over this billing process (mostly stress from the uncertainty over "are there more statements coming" and "why they kept calling"), I began searching for healthcare costs in Taiwan. I don't have insurance back at home so I would need to pay everything out of pocket if I go back to use the care there. However, it seems the costs are so transparent there and only a fraction of what I've seen in the states.
To give a couple examples, even a wisdom teeth removal there would only cost roughly $40 and after-care included (e.g., painkillers, antibiotics) and yes, it's quality care and people hold up to a high standard for customer service and healthcare there. Of course, some dentists charge more if the wisdom teeth are positioned in a more interesting position for extraction but that gives an idea. With insurance it's only about $6 for wisdom teeth removal even for the ones that are more difficult to extract.
Another example is it's about $640 (without insurance) for a woman under the age of 40 to do a full physical exam at the supposedly-most-renowned hospital in Taiwan (National Taiwan University Hospital). The hospital's website (here) shows a list of 63 tests and consultations that are included for the standard physical (I feel so cheated with the physical I've had in the states, the "comprehensive" annual exam I've had in UT and CO are nothing compared to the "standard" physical listed on this hospital website). I tried to translate them and here are some that are included :
Hmm......again...if my doctor recommends me to do any test with the lab or other special tests...I may just fly to Taiwan to do a comprehensive exam there and follow up with whatever necessary treatment at home. I would just view the $1400 airfare tag as the price to see family while on a healthcare check up trip.😑
When I first wrote about our recent experience with the lab and the whole annoying billing process (post shared on March 6), I mentioned I received a couple missed calls from the company. So I called back and the female representative I spoke with told me that my account balance has been paid off - it showed $0 balance on the screen she was looking at. I thought that's it.
Well, yesterday, March 12, we received another bill in the mail, from Progenity again. It showed the same amount as if we have not paid - except we have confirmation from our credit card statement showing that same amount has been paid on Feb 28. We also have a confirmation email from when it was paid. The bill on the letter we got in the mail yesterday shows it was billed on March 5.
Hubby emailed their financial services last night asking for a statement. Not fully trusting that the financial services will respond in a timely manner, hubby called Progenity this morning to get confirmation, once again, that the account balance is $0. Over the phone, we asked that they send an email like a statement showing there's $0 balance. Well, the rep said she can't, though she said she could send a $0 statement to us in the mail. Okay, so we said "yes, we'd like that." About two hours later, we got an email from a rep from the financial services. In that email, the rep responed to hubby's email from the night before. The financial services rep apologized for the second billing letter and wrote "The records at our Customer Care Department has not been updated. Enclosed you will find a $0.00 balance receipt for the payment received and the balance of your account." The email came with an attachment showing $0 on a statement that was created today. So...the rep on the phone this morning just didn't want to do this or couldn't? The rep on the phone said she couldn't send it over email (no reason provided), well, somehow the financial services was able to send us this electronic copy of the receipt. Maybe the financial services people have more clearance to pull up statements? Whatever the reason why that rep on the phone couldn't send us the electronic statement, we are glad that the other rep was able to do so. Really, whew, what a relief that was!
For anyone who might be going through what we have gone through with the lab (Progenity or other labs), don't give up. Don't pay right away. Try to ignore the letter from the insurance (even tho it's hard), wait for the bill from the lab and then contact the lab. I definitely feel the way it has happened and how it got resolved seem very WEIRD. I think it's very shady that the quoted price from the family doctor ($99) and the lab ($2247, rep from lab told me this is the out of pocket price) and what was billed to the insurance ($7509) are so off. Several internet searches revealed many people have also had their insurance billed for a crazy amount of money that is way too different than what they heard from their doctor (some were told $99, $150, $200). In the end, we all seem to have something shared in common: claim summary from the insurance freaked us out, actual payment was less than what's written on the claim summary, and we had to call the lab to sort it out (some people described it like calling in & mention a code [price heard from doctor] to get a discount).
I can't help but to think it's like the lab just bills whatever outrageous amount they want and see how much the insurance can cover (if someone has fantastic insurance and actually covers it, imagine how much $$ this lab can make). When a patient needs to pay whatever the insurance doesn't cover, it's like the lab almost always bill more than what was quoted at the doctor's office first (an agreement the provider has with the lab). If the patient calls back and mentions the quoted price from the doctor, then the lab drops the price to the agreed price. If the patient doesn't call back and refer back to the quoted price from the doctor, it's like it's the patient's loss for paying what's printed on the bill statement.
Also, it's super unacceptable to me that they didn't send any sort of itemized list that shows what exactly has been done and how much each was charged to go with the bill statement (name of the DNA test, cost for each of the different steps of the test). I mean, I think it's only fair to get an itemized list like you would at any car shop (everything's itemized eve for an oil change...). When we spoke to the rep on the phone on Feb 19 (yep, we were sorting this out on a holiday - President's Day), the rep told us it's just $7509.78 for the whole test. She couldn't give us an itemized list to explain how things got added up to this number. She said she could only see it was just billed as one item - hereditary cancer screening, $7509.78, and that's what was billed to the insurance. Well, the male rep I spoke with earlier that same day told me it's $2247 out of pocket. Back in November last year, our family doctor reassured it was only going to be $99 if paid out of pocket. You see, these numbers aren't just off by a couple dollars, they're off by grands. Add to the fact there is no itemized list to justify whatever the reason there is to set the price, it seems weird and too mushy here.
It took exactly 3 months and 2 weeks from the day I had my blood drawn for this hereditary cancer screening to the day we saw the $0 balance on the statement. It took 2 months for the lab to send out that first billing statement. I think the timeframe is ridiculous. Maybe it's just me, but I think it can be a lot better and a lot of the frustration and uncertainty could be avoided.
Anywhos, if my doctor mentions or recommends me to use the lab again in the future, I think I'd rather pay $1400 to hop on a plane and do whatever tests she recommends back at home in Taiwan. For a fraction of what the lab billed to the insurance, tests there are more comprehensive and results come out way faster than in the states.
Naturally, after weeks of frustration over this billing process (mostly stress from the uncertainty over "are there more statements coming" and "why they kept calling"), I began searching for healthcare costs in Taiwan. I don't have insurance back at home so I would need to pay everything out of pocket if I go back to use the care there. However, it seems the costs are so transparent there and only a fraction of what I've seen in the states.
To give a couple examples, even a wisdom teeth removal there would only cost roughly $40 and after-care included (e.g., painkillers, antibiotics) and yes, it's quality care and people hold up to a high standard for customer service and healthcare there. Of course, some dentists charge more if the wisdom teeth are positioned in a more interesting position for extraction but that gives an idea. With insurance it's only about $6 for wisdom teeth removal even for the ones that are more difficult to extract.
Another example is it's about $640 (without insurance) for a woman under the age of 40 to do a full physical exam at the supposedly-most-renowned hospital in Taiwan (National Taiwan University Hospital). The hospital's website (here) shows a list of 63 tests and consultations that are included for the standard physical (I feel so cheated with the physical I've had in the states, the "comprehensive" annual exam I've had in UT and CO are nothing compared to the "standard" physical listed on this hospital website). I tried to translate them and here are some that are included :
- all the bloodworks (if not more than the typical bloodworks),
- x-rays for the stomach, chest, spine
- ultrasound for the abdominal and breast
- upper gastrointestinal panendoscopy
- ECG
- spirometry screening
- cancer antigen testing (CA-125, CA15-3, CA19-9, CEA/RIA serum)
- colonoscopy
- microscopic exam of urine sediment
- hearing test
- ob check up
- ENT check up
- dental check up
- vision check up
- lunch (yes!! a meal is included!)
- second visit for hearing and discussing the health report
Hmm......again...if my doctor recommends me to do any test with the lab or other special tests...I may just fly to Taiwan to do a comprehensive exam there and follow up with whatever necessary treatment at home. I would just view the $1400 airfare tag as the price to see family while on a healthcare check up trip.😑
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