Incidentally, even though the hospital is willing to write it off, it might be worth appealing. "Makes a fuss when screwed with" is not a bad list to be on.

It is true that some insurance companies make it an unspoken policy to deny a claim the first time it comes up since a statistically significant portion of their customers won't challenge it. When it is challenged they will often pay on the claim.

I plan to ... would have today except our phones aren't reliable - couldn't get a clear connection to the insurance company (unless they have their system set specifically to make it impossible to talk to them ... which I wouldn't put past them). Aside from future repercussions, I think it's wrong for the hospital to not get paid for the parts they don't object to (like the surgeon and the anaesthesiologist and the medications (lovely, lovely morphine) and the IV antiobiotics they had me on). bah humbug!

I think that it's bullshit, but I could wrap my mind around the insurance co objecting to you spending an "unnecessary" night in the hospital and refusing to pay for the night's stay. But to deny the whole bill because they don't like one part is bullshit.

Yeah, I can understand their reasoning as well, but they should be refusing to pay for the night in the hospital, not the procedure itself.

Aside from future repercussions, I think it's wrong for the hospital to not get paid for the parts they don't object to (like the surgeon and the anaesthesiologist and the medications (lovely, lovely morphine) and the IV antiobiotics they had me on)

For serious.

Looks like the Toyota may be totaled. I just faxed the insurance co. the receipt from the engine we put in last month, see if that makes a difference.

Isn't exploratory surgery the routine treatment for symptoms that appear to be appendicitis? You wouldn't want to risk a rupture because you had to wait a few hours to see if it clears up on its own. I mean, if I am reading it right, isn't that what they are suggesting?

I thought that the insurance company was saying that she should have been put into a recovery room and sent home a few hours after surgery since there were no complications. Instead,she was admitted post surgery, thereby incurring a charge for the room.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if one has just had abdominal surgery and it's 2am, the hospital should let one stay the rest of the night. I know, I'm a radical, but so be it.

flea for the win

The hospital should let one stay, for sure! The insurance company is not going to pay for such luxurious treatment, however.