Scorpion sting leaves Arizona woman with huge bill
PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona woman is wondering what hurt more: getting stung by a scorpion or seeing her hospital bill after treatment.
Marcie Edmonds says the bill from Chandler Regional Medical Center was more than $83,000. That includes two doses of anti-venom at nearly $40,000 per dose.
The Arizona Republic says Edmonds' insurer has paid more than $57,000 and the suburban Phoenix hospital is asking Edmonds for the balance of about $25,000.
The 52-year-old Ahwatukee Foothills resident was stung in June while opening a box of air conditioner filters in her garage.
Edmonds says an emergency room doctor told her about the Mexican anti-venom Anascorp that could quickly relieve her symptoms, but she was never told about the cost.
Chandler Regional says Edmonds' bill represents the out-of-network costs for her treatment.
Marcie Edmonds says the bill from Chandler Regional Medical Center was more than $83,000. That includes two doses of anti-venom at nearly $40,000 per dose.
The Arizona Republic says Edmonds' insurer has paid more than $57,000 and the suburban Phoenix hospital is asking Edmonds for the balance of about $25,000.
The 52-year-old Ahwatukee Foothills resident was stung in June while opening a box of air conditioner filters in her garage.
Edmonds says an emergency room doctor told her about the Mexican anti-venom Anascorp that could quickly relieve her symptoms, but she was never told about the cost.
Chandler Regional says Edmonds' bill represents the out-of-network costs for her treatment.
What a rip-off. I guess they figure they have to make up for all the millions of dollars that the illegal alien parasites burn through during their (uninsured) emergency-room "visits". So, as usual, we working Americans get royally scr#wed, thanks to Political Correctness.
 @TheTruncheon You can be ignorant and blame it on "illegals" or get a grip on your nonsense and realize that pharmaceutical companies charge extremely high rates for medicine because they CAN. It's all about profit.Â
 @commonHuskyfan I don't know how "Big Pharma" has anything to do with this particular case, except for your using it as a diversionary change-of-subject tactic.
Â
You can keep your head in the politically correct sand and believe the many misguided quisling's confused rantings that the tens of millions of illegal foreign nationals now infiltrated here don't have any effect upon the higher prices that we, the long-suffering tax-paying citizens, must pay for our medical services due to these illegal aliens' ongoing parasitism. What utter nonsense! Of course their "free" use of OUR resources has an effect... a MAJOR and NEGATIVE effect on OUR access and on the higher prices WE must PAY to make up for the foreigner's "free" services!
Â
Or... if you actually believe that our supporting tens of millions of illegal foreign nationals in this country doesn't cost us anything, perhaps some coffee-smelling would help you to get your own grip on that, terribly sad and unfortunate, brainwashing, and WAKE UP.
 @commonHuskyfan Well, your "inferring" was not at all clear. What was clear, however, was your stating that I'm "ignorant" and that I need to "get a grip" on my "nonsense" in regards to the financial drain illegal aliens put on our country's health care systems.
Â
You said, "Sure, immigration has a role to play in higher health care costs, but they do not deserve the burden of the blame."Â First of all, these are not "immigrants", because "immigrants" come here, and live here, legally and above board, not skulking in the grey shadows of criminal deceit.
Â
So. I am referring not to "immigrants". I am speaking of the tens of millions of ILLEGAL ALIENS now infiltrated here, and using our emergency rooms as their doctor's offices, for "free"... which we, the citizens and our insurance companies, are forced to "make up" in the form of much higher prices WE pay.
Â
This situation is well-documented, and is the truth. There are hospitals in parts of this country so overwhelmed by these "free" services they they, by law, have to provide to illegals, that they have been forced to shut down.Â
Â
In cases such as those, surely and beyond any doubt, the illegal aliens do deserve "the burden of the blame" (I'm going out on a limb here, assuming you meant "the lion's share of the blame", or "the greater portion of the blame" or something similar.)
Â
In this story the hospital seems to be the instigator of the outrageous price of the anti-venom, not necessarily the pharmaceutical companies. However, If you honestly believe that my factual statements about the financial drain due to illegal aliens is "poison", then my earlier supposition is proved. Kind of a nice turn of phrase, with the well water imagery and all, 'tho.
 @TheTruncheon And a slight correction to my post: I meant to say "the price of these medications" - not just "these medications.."
 @TheTruncheon I never mentioned that illegals do not play a role - I inferred that it was not true that illegal immigrants were solely to blame for high medical costs.
Â
My point is that the "big pharma" - as you like to put it, are more responsible for high health care costs.  These medications are driven by profit and profit alone.Â
Â
Sure, immigration has a role to play in higher health care costs, but they do not deserve the burden of the blame.Â
Â
And despite your rhetorical rant, I will not be drinking from the well you poison.
That is a crime!
If this was not an extreme case then the doctor who mistakenly sold it to her should pay.
http://phoenix.about.com/cs/desert/a/scorpions01_2.htm
I got stung between the toes in Glendale Az. I was pretty sure I was going to die (I was 8). I probably would have if they charged my dad a price like that. It wasn't that big of a deal and gave me an impressive story to tell at school.
as for price of out-of-network, I have Premera/Blue Cross. One of my policy changes stipulated that if I went to an IN-NEWORK medical facility/hospital, but was treated by an OUT-OF-NETWORK ER doctor, I would have to pay out-of-network charges.
Â
This makes me cringe that in a life-death emergency, I (a) wouldn't have a choice and/or (b) the in-network ER dr is not on duty and/or (c) is on duty but there's a longer waiting period to get seen.  In the case of the scorpion sting, even if she knew the cost, would she have refused - even if it put her life at risk? Â
Â
And Obama care is supposed to make this easier?
 @newsreader Yes, under Obama care you just die. It is really much cheaper, trust me you will like it.Â
 @oldster70  @newsreader Finally, a real choice!
I grew up in the Arizona desert area - never saw a scorpion like that one in the picture. Actually, the smaller they are, the more deadly the venom. Also, most people don't have to even have an anti-venom for scorpions but maybe she had some kind of condition or had severe reactions to their sting. Hope she can get some financial assistance with her insurer on this one. 25k? whooee...
Generally, the insurance company negotiates the final amount they will pay the hospital for the procedures or treatment, and the hospital agrees to write off the residual balance. That was the case for me after I ended up in Harborview last october following an accident I was in. The discharge bill after 9 days of inpatient care and spinal surgery was $187,000. My insurance copany paid about $140,000, and the hospital agreed per contract to write off the balance. My insurance company told me if they tried to come after me to collect the residual balance, they were not authorized to do this, and to contact them (insurance company) right away.
So this lady needs to speak with her insurance company.
@northwestsurfer "out of network" means no insurance negotiated write-offs.
Â
@1opine Is that so? My hospital stay was out of network, and there was insurance negotiated write-offs. Explain that to me.
@1opine This is redundant. For a nearly $200,000 hospital bill, I have already done my research and homework and spoken with customer service and financial services for my HMO. I am well aware of what my plan covers and includes.
@northwestsurfer Check out your plan contract for urgent or emergent care coverage exceptions. There is language baked into the plans that address situations such as yours. As a provider contract specialist I have a deeper understanding of insurance than most. A one-off agreement between a provider and insurer is still a contract agreement even if it isn't offered up under a rudimentary search engine on the HMO's site.
Â
At the end of the day if you need to be right, you are. The patient should still check to see if their is a write-off agreement that would spare her the resposibility of the difference. Oh that's right. Nevermind, she already did that.
@1opine
This is getting old. If you insist on trying to be right, then I will have to provide you with factual data. I logged into my insurance provider and looked up the "in network" hospitals for my plan; and here they are: Seattle Children's, Overlake Medical Center, Virginia Mason, and my HMO's own medical centers.
Â
Dude, why do you persist? You seem to think you know my plan and provider, and you seem to think you have the information regarding the in network medical centers? Are you going to tell me now that I am still wrong? Harborview is out of network; I even looked up "Harborview Medical Center" on my plan's website, and it could not be found. *sigh*.
@northwestsurfer *sigh*Â HMO's have network hospitals too.
@1opine Well lets see, I saw I still had $40,000 pending with the hospital. So i called my insurer and asked why this still was pending, and they told me they negotiated with the hospital to pay $140,000, and the hospital would write off the residual balance.
Â
I am part of an HMO, that has their own hospitals, Harborview is not one of them. Do you actually expect me to believe that you know more about this than me? I've done my research on this, guy. This is out of network, and it is a contract that the hospital agreed to with the insurer, at the time the bill was presented. Do you have anything else you want to insist on?
@northwestsurfer You say 'per contract' and 'out of network' you tell me which it is... If there is a contract than it's 'in-network' that is the defining difference.
Its reported that several Arizona hospitals pay $3,780 per dose of Anascorp. Thats a $36,220.00 mark up due to the hospitals needing to recover their unpaid services from Mexican and American free loaders not paying hospital bills.
 In case of emergency while in AZ, run across the border to Mexico for medical help
I guess the moral of the story is if you need the anti-venom, go to Mexico for treatment .
It only cost around $100 there.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/2011/11/18/20111118editorial1119-antivenom-cost-worse-than-sting.html
She needs to check her benefits again. These services should be considered Emergency Care and paid at the In-Network benefit. Not that that excuses the cost of the anti-venom, but it could mean the difference between her insurer paying 80% rather than the probable 50% they paid.
This comment has been deleted
 @Total Khaos I've a similar though much less expensive lesson. I wish that there were at the very least, a sign in every DR.'s office/ ER/ clinic, etc. that advised everyone:
Â
"It is the patient's responsibility to ask about the cost of any treatment options during the exam"
The key here is the "out of network" clause. If you think you are safe by using a network or preferred hospital, think again! Providence Hospital, for one, may be a preferred provider but they hire ER docs who are not. So even if you have good insurance you can end up with a big bill that you have to pay. And I'm not talking about an unneccessary ER visit. This happened in Centralia to a patient who was vomiting blood five days afer abdominal surgery. There is no way to protect yourself from this since even if you were aware of this possibility and askthe hospital personel will tell you they can't discuss it!
Welcome to healthcare in America. It wants us to lead "healthier lives" but then screws us over like the snack bar at at a movie theatre when you need it. Combine that attitude with the current economic situation and I will be willing to bet dimes to dollars that healthcare will be the industry that brings this country to its ecenomic knees with in the next two years and neither the Democrats, nor the Republicans will be able to fix it. It'll make the housing crisis look like a tea party if you'll pardon the pun!
Don't forget the college loan crisis - that might take a few more years. It's the result of all this endless borrowing - pretty soon everybody owes more than they have coming in and it results in one big fat ass crash whether personal, corporate or government.
Did she even need the antivenom? My daughter was stung by a pretty big scorpion in Florida. It hurt a LOT or a few days, but she never even went to see the doctor, she was fine.
@It_is_only_me I'm not an expert here but there are at least 12 different species/families of scorpions in the United States. Each one is different in regards to the severity of their venom.
Â
http://www.angelfire.com/tx4/scorpiones/states.html
Â
Â
Just another way for the hospital to rip somebody off.
Reading this in Arizona and the picture cracked me up! Although, you would think the scorpions were that big based on her hospital bill.
Yes - I grew up in arizona and never saw any scorpion that looked like that picture but I thought, hey, been away from there for a few years maybe the nuke testing.... :)
At least use a picture of a scorpion native to the U.S.
@Slimjim No they have to use the big scary non native one to freak people out. In real life most of them here in the US are half dollar to dollar sized, and semi translucient. PS the stings to most people aren't any worse than a bee sting I have experience.Â
 @Kodiak  @Slimjim That is paper dollar not "silver" dollar. Most are small 4-5 inches and more like a wasp sting.Â