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401k and Personal Finance advice and tips finance Life Tips

American Healthcare System III – 美国医疗系统之三: the medical bills are confusing

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(Update 12-08-2024) 我今天录了一个油管视频：I created a YT video today and it’s in Mandarin Chinese. I can create an English version later, if there is interest.

My street credentials (qualification) for writing this: besides as the consumer of US healthcare system (employer sponsored plans most of the time) since fall 2000. I also worked for 2 large healthcare systems (hospital chains) in the USA, Mercy Health and Ascension Health. Here is my LinkedIn profile.

(Original 04-07-2024) I talked about American Healthcare System I 美国医疗系统之一 and American Healthcare System II 美国医疗系统之二。Recently due to my older daughter’s ankle injury, I learned a bit more about the medical bills.

I received 5 bills total, one paper bill didn’t come because I turned on paperless billing inside MyChart

We had two visits at Shriner’s hospital near the BJC at central west end: the initial encounter (encounter as in medical billing) and the followup encounter (to make sure her ankle is good). She was not seriously injured per Shriner Hospital but I am still glad that we had professional to check her out to make sure.

There were 5 bills or 5 payments from my side. Two bills for the X ray which although it says the doctor’s name in the insurance company website’s benefit explanation section. For those two bills I paid on the Shriner’s hospital MyChart website. Talking about MyChart, personally I liked it very much as it’s electronic. And recently I switched my primary doctor to Mercy partially due to this. I can see the appointments, messages and test results, as well as billing info in one spot. I didn’t realize or recall until very recently, all the insurance and billing information are in the MyUHC website. More on this in the next section.

More paper bills and that’s the confusing part

Later on there are two bills for the nurse practitioner who looked at S. And one bill for therapist’s work who came for the 2nd visit. Because I don’t see the bills inside MyChart, and initially I didn’t go to MyUHC website (the benefit explanation website) I only see one paper bill came after another, and I didn’t know what’s going on.

Eventually I paid off all 3 bills online by following the website address on the letter (the paper bill), because I prefer to get refund check instead of get the collection letter.

I still didn’t fully understand is why those bills don’t show up in the MyChart website. Last but not least, after I paid all the bills, I found out I can pay all those bills from the MyUHC website too. There is some integration between UnitedHealth (insurance side) and its subsidiary Optum (HSA account, payment side). Now I recall I used that functionality a few years ago when I had the United Health insurance from my previous employer Mastercard.

Out of pocket cost

The total out of pocket for Shriner’s hospital is about $450 for us: which seems okay for me at least. The UnitedHealth plan do have some decent discount from the initial charge.

The main lesson again, if I can quote my former colleague at Unigraphics, don’t get sick 🙂

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Life Politics

My random thoughts on the 9-11 anniversary

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Photo taken at the Simmons Bank at Olive and Warson Roads, 09-11-2023

Today I saw the flag was lowered at a local bank, and I knew it’s the 22nd anniversary of Sept-11, 2001, and I still remember that day. That morning, I was watching TV before going off to work, and it appears to me something hit the twin tower, and there was helicopter responding to the accident. Note it was before both the towers came down. I went to work, and quickly saw all the coworkers glued their eyes to the TV, and I knew something real serious happened…

At the time, I lived in an apartment that was very close to the STL airport. And in the next few days all the airplanes were grounded, and I couldn’t hear the airplane sounds I used to hear before 9-11. That evening (9-11) was also a bit panicking as people started to line up to get gasoline (I didn’t join). Also, my company had a large layoff a month after 9-11 (that was a co-incident, as there was a layoff plan before 9-11, the attack just made the layoff worse due to the economic outlook).

I recall a lot of things after 9-11, Here is something from the History Channel. I recall President George W Bush said “Go shopping (and support the economy)”. The two wars (Afghanistan, which started in late 2001; and Iraq, which started spring of 2003). Also, the airport security was totally revamped. Came across the below tweet from President Obama and he ordered the assassination of the head of al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden (On May 2[a], 2011).

Also this piece from an ordinary guy: I Sheltered In An Apartment With A Total Stranger On 9/11. Two Weeks Ago, I Finally Found Her

We lost a lot good people that day, and there are lots of memorials for them, such as this one.

Tweet in Chinese below (also in Wikipedia Rick Rescorla): I recall reading articles about him in the past.

There is an error in the Chinese translation above, Rick works for Morgan Stanley not JP Morgan (摩根斯坦利，不是摩根大通）。Also this Rick’s action just reminds me of the movie Titanic: during extreme time, there are usually heroes (put other people’s life 1st), and there are also people who just care for themselves.

PS: I talked about the 9-11 at the Monday class at Webster U. And many students were very young when it happened. But they were aware of it and similar attacks in their home country (India).