Do not leave your loved ones alone if they are capable of signing their name and unable to make sound decisions. Billing will send someone to the room early on, either first day of admission or next morning bright and early. They are looking for $500 "estimated" owed expenses for future services rendered. This is before billing insurance mind you. They claim they always give the person the option to decline, but they did it to me when I was in there, and it was NOT presented as an option. I worked as supervisor on a hospital billing desk, so I understand a couple of things they don't expect people to understand just walking in off the street.
Anyway, my 85 year old father was admitted with double-pneumonia (both lungs), and we left my 74 year old mother with severe dementia with him for the first night because she has a very hard time functioning without him present. Billing came in and had her sign over $500 from their bank account. I was hot, but they did absolutely nothing to correct it. This was at Christmas when money is tight. They have excellent insurance.
When I spoke to a supervisor in billing, I was told they've been doing it this way for years and nobody has complained before. Maybe it was because it was presented as an "estimated" bill and those who were aware of the reality said they wouldn't pay and to bill them later. Everyone else who never understood, who paid up front, and never knew to follow up with accounting to find out the actual amount owed didn't know they had anything to complain about. Not that if they had followed up they'd have been told they overpaid, but I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt on this part. Not certain why I should.
My advice to you is to know your rights. If someone attempts to collect money from you at the hospital before billing your insurance, you need to check with your insurance company to verify that you have to pay it. I'm not talking about your co-pay, which you must pay in accordance with the terms of your insurance. I'm talking about in addition to your co-pay. Ask the person in front of you trying to collect an "estimated" amount owed if it is optional. If they lie, you can do something about that. If it's optional, DO NOT PAY. Tell them to bill you after insurance.
Here's the thing, they take the money from you, they bill the insurance, then afterward they are supposed to contact you back and refund the amount you overpaid. Have you ever met anyone who was told they overpaid on their hospital bill and are owed money? No? (It could happen, and if it does, you have found the exceptional billing department.) You assumed it was because it costs so much that you didn't overpay? Most people do, and this is how many hospitals creatively subsidize costs for people who cannot or will not pay most of their bill or even anything ever.
My personal opinion is that the billing team at this hospital is highly creative. If you have extra money and WANT to subsidize healthcare for the poor, that's a noble thing you should choose to do. You should never, however, be tricked into doing it unaware. I've heard healthcare and welfare for the poor called "theft" by the rich. I don't think that's true, but I do think being tricked into paying more than you should for reasons that you're not told certainly is theft--though I certainly would never accuse this hospital of thievery. I'm just telling what my experience has been.
