Strong stress and hospitalization turned for the American a huge bill from the hospital

Arlene Feilen lost her husband due to suicide in 2013. Three years later, she lost her father due to cancer. And in February of 2019, she lost her 89-year-old mother due to health problems. Writes about this RVP.

Фото: Depositphotos

“We were inseparable, and that first Mother's Day without her was devastating. I just gave up,” Feilen said. “It was just loss after loss after loss, and I just gave up.”

A few days after this painful holiday, she drank a lot of beer in a few hours, trying to drown out her pain. She sent alarming messages to her sister and friends, expressing concern that she might harm herself. One friend phoned 911 and called an ambulance, which drove her to Dupage Central Hospital.

Feilen arrived in the emergency room in mid-May and the next day was transferred to the common room in the in-patient psychiatric ward. In total, she spent five nights in the hospital.

She also passed a number of tests: a blood test, an ultrasound of the abdomen and an ECG. She attended group consultations, which, according to her sister, helped her a lot, and Feilen started taking antidepressants.

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When she returned home, she stopped drinking, continued to take medicine and attend consultations. She began to view her problem as "another peak that she overcame." Her grief began to recede ... And then the bill came.

The total bill amounted to $ 29 894, insurance covered only a small part of the costs, since the type of insurance Faylen had was not designed to cover mental health expenses. Ultimately, Feilin ended up owing $ 21 634 to the hospital.

Feilin has an “association health insurance plan” acquired through an affiliate association. The insurance is called SelectCare 1, costs her $ 210 per month and does not cover the costs of psychiatric care.

This is the type of plan that the 44 administration of US President Barack Obama has curtailed. But the administration of US President Donald trump returned these insurance plans on sale again.

Like other association plans, it does not need to include the 10 “essential health benefits” required by the Federal Affordable Care Act, such as treatment for mental health and substance abuse disorders. Plans that comply with the ACA address these points in the same way as physical needs.

In March 2019, a U.S. District Court judge sided with the 11 states and the District of Columbia, challenging the law, repealing a significant portion of the rules introduced by the Trump administration. But association insurance plans are still in place, and some states support wider access to them.

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Sheri Bele, an insurance agent who works with the Affiliate Workers Association, says many people buy this type of insurance for a short period of time. According to her, for some people this is a great option that can protect them from catastrophic physical health problems.

Bele said that she always gives clients a brochure that explains what insurance covers and what does not. Feilen, when buying a policy, said that she was fine and that she did not need treatment coverage for mental disorders.

According to Feilin, in order to reduce costs during hospitalization, she tried to refuse procedures such as ultrasound, but she was told that he was needed. She did not receive answers when she asked how much she could pay for it.

“I asked a simple question, and there should be a simple answer,” she said.

Hospitals usually charge far more from uninsured people than from those who have insurance. A report from the Institute of Medical Expenditures for the 2017 year showed that the average hospitalization cost for an acute mental disorder was $ 9 293 for a patient with commercial insurance who stayed on average for a week. This is less than half the Feilin bill.

Hospital authorities said Northwestern Medicine offers various financial assistance programs for uninsured, underinsured patients.

“We have made multiple attempts to contact this patient to provide care,” the hospital said.

Feylen said she spoke with a social worker at the hospital about expenses and began filling out a form for financial assistance, but stopped when she got to the part that asked about stocks and bonds. Although her annual income is below the poverty level - and she probably qualifies for Medicaid — she received a modest inheritance from her parents, which she put into a pension plan, and she decided that most likely she would not receive help.

According to Feilen, when she bought insurance several years ago, she began to study health.gov plans that offer subsidies to many low- and middle-income people.

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But it is sometimes difficult for consumers to find out if the plan complies with the health law. Plans sold outside of Health.gov may be labeled Obamacare but do not have the same guaranteed benefits.

“You have to be very careful not to accidentally buy such a plan. They're always cheaper,” said Jennifer Snow, acting director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. “But if an offer seems too good to be true, it’s best not to buy it.”

When buying insurance, make sure you know what it covers. Read everything that is written in the contract, even in small print.

Feilan said that if she could return to the past, she would surely buy insurance that covers the costs of treating mental illnesses that every fifth adult in the United States suffers annually.

“You don't know what life will throw at you,” she said. “I never thought that I would ever need psychiatric help.”

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