You can alter your financial agreements at the emergency room to include "The Battlefield Consent." Write it in to protect yourself from being overcharged.
I went to the hospital registration desk and said "I don't need any health care today, but I would like to get copies of the consent forms to read so that I understand what they mean before a crisis strikes." They cheerfully supplied the printouts. The form read: "I assign to _____[hospital] the right to receive payment ... from the following sources: from insurance..., from my own money, estate, or other funds to which I am entitled." I asked them if I could cross out the word "estate." They said no. I said "What if I allowed you to have all my money but not my house?" They said I cannot make that stipulation.
I said "I am uncomfortable with the phrase: 'I assign to ____[hospital] the *right* to receive my money.' Could I write in the margin 'I am *not* forfeiting any rights granted to me by the state or federal government?'" They said no. After a few more questions they finally told me: "When you sign this form, It's ALL or NOTHING. You cannot change anything written there, period."
When the time comes that I check in for actual care, should I ignore their protests and write statements in the margin anyway? In non-emergencies, could they turn me away for doing so? Advice please.
I altered my paperwork in the emergency room using the battlefield consent language above. Now the hospital is telling me they cannot change the price I'm being billed because of my insurance and has threatened to send my bill to collections. What recourse do I have?
When My Teenage Son Went to the Emergency Room He Put a Limit on What He Agreed to Pay
I went to the hospital registration desk and said "I don't need any health care today, but I would like to get copies of the consent forms to read so that I understand what they mean before a crisis strikes." They cheerfully supplied the printouts. The form read: "I assign to _____[hospital] the right to receive payment ... from the following sources: from insurance..., from my own money, estate, or other funds to which I am entitled." I asked them if I could cross out the word "estate." They said no. I said "What if I allowed you to have all my money but not my house?" They said I cannot make that stipulation.
I said "I am uncomfortable with the phrase: 'I assign to ____[hospital] the *right* to receive my money.' Could I write in the margin 'I am *not* forfeiting any rights granted to me by the state or federal government?'" They said no. After a few more questions they finally told me: "When you sign this form, It's ALL or NOTHING. You cannot change anything written there, period."
When the time comes that I check in for actual care, should I ignore their protests and write statements in the margin anyway? In non-emergencies, could they turn me away for doing so? Advice please.
Can you use this technique if you don't have Quizzify's services?
Way to go, Ashton! I will follow these practical steps for future ER visits. Glad there was no serious health problem in this case!
I altered my paperwork in the emergency room using the battlefield consent language above. Now the hospital is telling me they cannot change the price I'm being billed because of my insurance and has threatened to send my bill to collections. What recourse do I have?