US Workers Are Highly Taxed If You Count Premiums

Re:US Workers Are Highly Taxed If You Count Premiums by mikeash on Monday April 08, 2019 @06:21PM (#19609650)

I went to the ER thinking I was having a heart attack, and it turned out there was nothing wrong. The doctor who saw me afterwards thought it might have been intestinal spams. I got to pay $6,000 for that bit of entertainment.

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Re:US Workers Are Highly Taxed If You Count Premiums by exodus_de on Monday April 08, 2019 @06:31PM (#19609730)

Let me guess - your deductible is 6000$?

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Re:US Workers Are Highly Taxed If You Count Premiums by ddoolin on Monday April 08, 2019 @06:53PM (#19609921)

Is that really relevant though? That should never cost anywhere near that much.

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Re:US Workers Are Highly Taxed If You Count Premiums by jimbokun on Monday April 08, 2019 @07:08PM (#19610042)

It's relevant because the doctor probably charged EVEN MORE than $6,000, and mikeash only saw $6,000 of that because it was his entire deductible.

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Re:US Workers Are Highly Taxed If You Count Premiums by kradroy on Monday April 08, 2019 @07:38PM (#19610235)

Did you pay the bill outright without negotiating?

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Re:US Workers Are Highly Taxed If You Count Premiums by mikeash on Monday April 08, 2019 @07:42PM (#19610265)

Yes. I couldn’t find an angle to negotiate with. I could afford to pay, so trying to use hardship as a lever to bring down the bill wouldn’t have been honest.

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Re:US Workers Are Highly Taxed If You Count Premiums by tathougies on Monday April 08, 2019 @09:00PM (#19610675)

Normally you just call and say youd like to lower the bill

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Re:US Workers Are Highly Taxed If You Count Premiums by rhexs on Monday April 08, 2019 @10:44PM (#19611290)

Not so easy if you’re google-able and clearly work in tech. They won’t squeeze blood from a stone, but if they smell money, they aren’t going to negotiate. The advice frequently found on reddit about negotiating is good, but keep in mind it’s targeted at individuals with, best case, 0 net worth and worst case hundreds of thousands in debt.

Your mileage will vary depending on the bill collector, hospital system, staff etc., but keep in mind someone has to be paying the bills. American, work in tech, post on Hackernews? It’s probably going to be you.

Always worth a shot though. Worst case they’ll usually let you go on a 0% APR payment plan for years and years.

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Re:US Workers Are Highly Taxed If You Count Premiums by mikeash on Monday April 08, 2019 @10:16PM (#19611137)

Why would they respond with anything besides “fuck you, pay me”?

When I did ask, their response was basically a more nicely worded version of that.

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Re:US Workers Are Highly Taxed If You Count Premiums by dboreham on Monday April 08, 2019 @09:22PM (#19610804)

In my experience that doesn't work.

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Re:US Workers Are Highly Taxed If You Count Premiums by kradroy on Tuesday April 09, 2019 @12:18AM (#19611755)

If you're willing to risk your credit score for a bit, just don't pay the bill. Eventually some entity down the line will accept less. If you don't want to do that, then you have to eat it; immediately or in installments.

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Re:US Workers Are Highly Taxed If You Count Premiums by splintercell on Monday April 08, 2019 @07:48PM (#19610304)

I really don't understand this 'labor theory of value' thinking.

Just because there wasn't anything wrong doesn't mean you don't have to pay a person for their services.

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Re:US Workers Are Highly Taxed If You Count Premiums by mikeash on Monday April 08, 2019 @07:56PM (#19610346)

That’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m saying that the cost was way too high.

How much does an ER visit like that cost in a sane country? I mean the actual cost, not the “free” that the patient might see from a socialized system. It’s nowhere near that high.

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