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Check this bill. I had tetanus shot in May because of a cat bite.

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yy4me Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-18-09 04:00 PM
Original message
Check this bill. I had tetanus shot in May because of a cat bite.
Little notice in the mail today. In and out of the office in less than 5 minutes. Did not even see the Doctor.

Bill reads:

Tetanus,Diphtheria Toxoids and $76.00
Tetanus,Diphtheria Toxoids & A $75.00

Medicare Payment 0

Please pay this amount $151.00

Of course I called and was told that someone would review this to see if it was an error. It had better be an error because I'm not paying it.

I had 1 crummy Tetanus shot, not the other stuff and not to the tune of $151.00

If this is where the boat is going, I'll be getting off at the next port.


Unbelievable, I'm really angry.
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bobbolink Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-18-09 04:02 PM
Response to Original message
1. Are you angry enough to work for HR 676?
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Duer 157099 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-18-09 04:02 PM
Response to Original message
2. We need a human version of the low cost vaccination clinics
like vets do

but without the spay and neuter
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rucky Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-18-09 04:57 PM
Response to Reply #2
11. or maybe with the spay and neuter?
:shrug:
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Sal Minella Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-18-09 05:13 PM
Response to Reply #11
13. Definitely with. Yes. DEFINITELY with.
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northernlights Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-18-09 05:20 PM
Response to Reply #2
14. tetanus toxoid is not a vaccine
and not something you can set up in advance as a clinic. It's an anti-toxin and given asap after likely exposure to tetanus.

However, the idea of low-cost vaccine clinics for certain vaccinations is a good one. It's sortof done already, at least at my university where we could get certain required vaccinations for free. Something similar should be available on a large-scale basis, not just for this little group, or that little group.
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Fumesucker Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-18-09 04:02 PM
Response to Original message
3. Good luck..
It took me just at a year to straighten out the billing with an insurance company for a tetanus shot on a routine physical some years back.
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madaboutharry Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-18-09 04:03 PM
Response to Original message
4. At least you didn't have to go to the emergency room.
The bill would have been $5,000.
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old mark Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-18-09 04:07 PM
Response to Original message
5. You may be more lucky than you know.
I worked with someone who nearly died from a cat bite. She came back to work after over a month of sick leave with a small IV bottle of antibiotics taped to her arm. The cat bit her in the knuckle of her right first finger so hard part of the tooth broke off and had to be removed from her finger bone. The infection nearly killed her.

She retired a few months after coming back to work.
mark
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Horse with no Name Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-18-09 04:07 PM
Response to Original message
6. Do you have Medicare Part B?
You need to make sure they billed it correctly and not as a routine immunization. Good luck.

http://www.medicareinteractive.org/page2.php?topic=counselor&page=script&slide_id=1519

Part B will cover other immunizations only if you have been exposed to a disease or condition. For example, if you step on a rusty nail, Medicare will cover a tetanus shot; if you are bitten by a dog, Medicare will cover your rabies shots.
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tularetom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-18-09 04:41 PM
Response to Original message
7. I fought with Blue Shield for three months over removal of some stitches
I had the stitches removed in the same emergency room where they were put in. Because that's what the emergency room doc told me to do. According to BS, the removal of stitches did not constitute an emergency therefore, having them pulled in an emergency room was not covered. And I wound having to eat a couple hundred bucks as a result.

Next time I'll pull the goddamn stitches myself.
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Vinca Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-18-09 04:45 PM
Response to Original message
8. Last year my husband stepped on a nail and needed a tetanus shot.
He called the ER to see how much it would cost since we are uninsured. $500 minimum. Fortunately there is a doctor in a nearby town who runs kind of a "cash and carry" operation. Walk in, he sees you, gives you whatever meds you need and you pay in cash. I think it was $125 and he threw in antibiotics as well as the tetanus shot. We thought it was a deal.
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yy4me Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-18-09 04:50 PM
Response to Reply #8
9. My bill was nothing compared to that ER horror story.
I had to pay for the antibiotics myself ($47.00), I do not have drug coverage with Medicare. Can't afford it.
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hfojvt Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-18-09 04:55 PM
Response to Reply #8
10. dang, that's still pricey
I got my last tetanus booster for free (back in 1994 or so) and I thought I could get one from the county nurse for like $15 or something.
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northernlights Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-18-09 05:25 PM
Response to Reply #10
17. the tetanus vaccine or booster is not the same as the tetanus toxoid
The tetanus toxoid is an anti-toxin given immediately after a bite to make sure that any toxin released is rendered ineffective.

Different shot given for a different reason.

The tetanus vaccine prevents the bacteria from reproducing.

The tetanus toxoid prevents any toxins the bacteria releases before it dies off from killing you.
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Rebubula Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-18-09 05:06 PM
Response to Original message
12. CVS - In store clinics
$75 for tetanus shot
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MineralMan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-18-09 07:44 PM
Response to Reply #12
18. Yup. The Emergency room is the last place to go for
minor injuries. The quick clinics here and there, CVS, Target, will fix you up for a reasonable price. If it's more serious, go to an urgent care clinic. Emergency rooms are for emergencies, not routine stuff like a tetanus shot. You're paying there for staffing, facilities, etc.
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northernlights Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-18-09 05:21 PM
Response to Original message
15. either way, be glad you didn't get lockjaw
which can kill, and rather painfully from what I understand.
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aikoaiko Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-18-09 05:24 PM
Response to Original message
16. If I see a doctor for less than $200, its feels like its free.

:shrug:
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