Medical emergencies or a serious diagnosis often come with a challenging lesson or five.

Whether you ended up hospitalized from a car accident, had food poisoning and you flipped your celiac disease switch, or got a cancer diagnosis, you learn very fast that healthcare in the United States is expensive and who pays for what when, may be complicated.

After my car accident I had a doctor’s office tell me at my follow up appointment that I needed to pay my bill. I told them I had just provided two forms of insurance and once the bill was reviewed and paid by my insurer I would pay the balance. This follow up was included in the cost of my surgery.

She told me they don’t take insurance for car accidents.

Umm what?

I told her she had my insurance and until they refused to evaluate it or pay it, I would not be paying them anything. I had been billed for the surgeon and half the surgeon’s cost for a student. It was a 15 minute procedure where the student stitched up my knee. Insurance not only reduced the cost of the surgeon, but removed the bill for the student as two doctors were unnecessary. The bill was cut in half and my insurance paid a percentage.

The lessons may be financial, like this one, or physical, mental, social, emotional, etc. Emergencies are a time when all our areas of well being can be challenged.

What was a challenge you have navigated as a result of a medical situation?

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