It doesn’t need to be said that medical bills in the States are atrocious, not to mention the monthly insurance premiums. That being said, it probably wouldn’t surprise many to know some medical centers and clinics might be ripping off their patients, as one Michigan teacher discovered. They received a bill for around $1,100 after insurance, but before paying it off, a co-worker recommended that they request an itemized bill, just in case. That’s when they realized that they were charged for “stuff that literally never happened,” causing the medical bill to be almost twice the cost.
For extra details, they were first charged for a $340 anesthesia consultation, which they never had, as well as a duplicate charge for a supply kit. When they called the billing department at the regional hospital, the receptionist was helpful and resolved the billing issue, reducing the bill from $1,000 to $618. If they hadn’t asked for the itemized bill, the hospital would have gotten away with almost double the amount the teacher actually owed. “Apparently billing errors are insanely common and hospitals count on people just not looking,” they sighed on their story post in r/povertyfinance.
More than a few people would turn such an aggravating discovery for a medical bill into a big deal on subreddits like r/mildlyfrustrating. Yet, this Michigan teacher chose to make their tale a warning for others to always look into their itemized bills from hospitals. “Takes 5 minutes and you might find something,” they remarked. “You always ask for an itemized and watch the bill drop 20%,” agreed a top-upvoted commenter. “It is not an error if it is always in their favor. That is intentional,” pointed out another.
Many Hospitals Use AI to Bill Patients, Which Online Users Say Causes Errors
One Redditor blamed the fact that many hospitals and providers, especially in today’s day and age, use AI to maximize billing on patients, even if the charges are incorrect. And this person is correct: According to a survey done by the Healthcare Financial Management Association and AKASA, almost half, 46%, of hospitals and health systems use AI to bill patients, including other financial management work. This was done back in 2023, so this number has likely greatly increased since then.
