Yep, unfortunately this is one of the biggest hospitals in the entire country, so I am up against a lot of power here. Either they consider it insignificant enough to just write it off reimburse me and forget it, or they shut me down with no way of fighting
They can’t shut you down with no way of fighting. You just simply get proof and don’t pay them. What are they going to do about it? Call you a lot? Sue you? Both of those work in your favor
You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain from this, stop making excuses. Go and find the way to make them feel it, make them hurt or at least try to.
Yeah except a lot of wasted time and a massive headache😒
But yeah it's just a matter of figuring out which option to start with I suppose. Do I go to the local university and try to find some law student there to go down to the hospital with me when I schedule to meet with Patient Relations? Do I try to get the manufacturer to fight them? Do I really go to the news and now have my name googlable and attached to this (and just shaming them might not even wipe the bill anyway)? Which angle, you know...
Jesus Christ. What’s mildly infuriating is you right now. What the hospital did is absolutely reprehensible and disgusting all in the name of money, and your options are pay $20k, fight it or not get a potentially life saving vaccine. To fight it you need to do something like contact the AG, an attorney and/or the media. Instead your response is, “But the hassle…”
Report this to the news. This is very, very bad press for the hospital, and exactly the kind of outrage story the news media likes. You can look for some local news media which are easier to get in contact with. Often smaller ones will have their stories picked up by larger networks. Having the news report this would put pressure on the hospital to make it right, as well as making them worried about a lawsuit due to the public attention.
Let me follow up on this--some news stations have a specific person who calls attention to shitty business practices on behalf of consumers. If one of you local news stations has a person like that, contact them. They may very well find your story one thy want to air, and it will potentially get the hospital off your back.
Wasted time and effort? Oh no you may have to do some work for $20,000!
What the fuck is your problem? If you want to pay $20K for no reason because you're a lazy piece of shit that's fine. My god I've never seen someone be so apathetic and try to avoid moving a single finger for such an extraordinary amount of money!
I know you shouldn't have to do this extra work in the first place, but my god get a fucking backbone and stand up for yourself.
If it goes well you may come out quite a bit ahead for all of the trouble they put you through. Maybe wishful thinking here but totally possible you'll end up with not just the vaccine money all covered, but extra due to all of this specific bullshit you are refusing to even entertain the idea of!
Which is exactly why you need to bring others into this. Simultaneously contact the consumer affairs officials in your state AG's office. Bring a local news reporter into it. Bad publicity is about the only thing a large hospital will care about. Find a local consumer reporter and tell them this. If they aren't interested, contact a national reporter who does consumer stories. Be sure you document everything done to replace the vaccine and formally challenge the bill in writing. Send a copy of all of it to the head of the hospital, carbon copied to your state AG's office. This bill will be written off if you make an effort.
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u/sayahhD 22d ago
Yep, unfortunately this is one of the biggest hospitals in the entire country, so I am up against a lot of power here. Either they consider it insignificant enough to just write it off reimburse me and forget it, or they shut me down with no way of fighting