It appears that my total out-of-pocket costs for my trip to see the Wizard of Oz are coming in very close to what I estimated. That's neither good nor bad because of the magnitude but it is good that I wasn't surprised. As I said in an earlier post lamenting the difficulty of getting pre-visit financial information, I don't keep an extra $600 laying around for the express purpose of enriching the medical industry.
Lamentations aside, here's a breakdown of costs for the UVA Medical Center trip back in November.
Professional services by Dr. Loughran
Amount billed..............................$470
My share.......................................$ 40
Professional services by Dr. Goldfarb (pathologist)
Amount billed..............................$279
My share.......................................$ 0
Professional services by Dr. Mahadevan (pathologist)
Amount billed..............................$100
My share.......................................$ 0
Facility services by UVA Medical Center (laboratory)
Amount billed...........................$4,144
My share....................................$ 653
So, after all is said and done, and I've gotten my most recent diagnosis that this shit isn't going to kill me, that's the best $693 ever spent! For fellow LGLL readers who may be interested in the finer details of the lab work, see below. These details come directly from my BCBS EOB statement for the services shown. It is a detailed breakdown of the $4,144 amount above..
Laboratory services
Flow cytometry test................$3,006
TCR/PCR test.........................$ 746
CBC........................................$ 242
Other blood work....................$ 120
The take-away from all of this is to bug the hell out of your insurance company and care providers to provide you with the information directly related to your visit, including physician services and facility services. Don't let the bastards get you down! Perservere!!
About Me
- Wayne Turner
- I was born, raised and went to school in eastern NC. Too immature at 17 to comprehend the seriousness of university life, I dropped out after two years and joined the Air Force. I spent two years of my four year military career in Germany, which I enjoyed immensely. I completed my Bachelor's Degree at Guilford College in 1985. My first career was in the computer field where I did everything short of design one. I've spent the last 30 years in the environmental field working for local governments. In December 2017 I retired from full time work. My overdeveloped sense of fairness and justice lands me on the liberal side in my political views. I think government plays a large role in social responsibility in a civilized state. I believe in the innate compassion and goodness in everyone despite the daily news reports to the contrary. My genetic predisposition for generosity in nearly all things is sometimes a source of future angst. I've been a musician and still have a deep love of music. I am naturally curious about all things especially metaphysics and science.
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