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Medical nightmare 16-30 Jan.!!!!

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by bignig135, Jan 25, 2018.

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  1. nancyf

    nancyf VIP Whale

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    oh what a shame - this sounds terrible for you.... I do hope you get home safe and get the treatment you need there... wishing you a speedy recovery.
     
  2. pleasemum

    pleasemum High-Roller

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    That is awful - so sorry to hear. There is some good advice on this thread.

    I hope you have a speedy recovery.
     
  3. amk121

    amk121 VIP Whale

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    I am sorry to hear that and I hope you feel better! Definetly negotiate a lower price...
     
  4. C0usineddie

    C0usineddie VIP Whale

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    You are basically getting it free here too. Do you really plan on paying that big bill? This is why we have health insurance. You pay money for the insurance and they pay the big bill for you or most of it anyway.

    My insurance pays it all. I was in a motorcycle accident and payed 0 for all the surgeries ambulance, the whole nine yards.
     
  5. jgates8

    jgates8 VIP Whale

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    Could you have purchased trip insurance? I know it covers issues like this but I don't even know if it is available in other countries.

    (Not being critical - just curious).

    Hope things go well for you!
     
    Easter again..:
  6. NCAAHoops

    NCAAHoops VIP Whale

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    wishing you a comfortable journey home. Do not worry about the bill for now just take care of your health. As others have said those numbers are can be talked down. In the US they need to get you well enough to walk out the door. Sorry you had to go thru this wishing you a speedy recovery
     
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  7. martinr

    martinr Rock Chalk Jayhawk

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    Vegas is not a place anyone ever wants to have medical problems while visiting. But, there have been threads on this site that prove that the "fantasyland" that Vegas is supposed to be, is not exactly a reality. Rarely, have the issues to the extent that you experienced been reported by other Vegas visitors here. But, I've heard that the hospitals there are actually well respected and prepared for emergencies from the large numbers of people who travel there.

    Good luck on your stabilization and trip back home for your procedures. Let us know how it all turns out.
     
    First Time Staying on the South End. Will I Hear Southern Accents?
  8. KingBBInLV

    KingBBInLV High-Roller

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    Hope you feel better enough soon to travel home comfortably.

    What's gonna happen if you don't pay that hospital bill, It's not like they can use your social security number to bang out your credit.
     
  9. Darcie

    Darcie Tourist

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    Firstly I hope you get home safe and sound and the operation goes well, but I cannot understand that you have been to the USA 21 times and you have never purchased Travel Medical Insurance which the worst way ( assuming you have an existing condition would cost as little as 200 pounds for a two week holiday) and as little as 80 pounds if you had no
    existing condition, everyone knows that when travelling to the USA the first thing you do is purchase travel insurance, they are known for their ridiculous high prices for prescription medicine and hospital stays. I'm sorry I don't wish to sound patronising, but you have visited the US so many times I just find it unbelievable that you have not purchased
    insurance.
     
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  10. gailtherese

    gailtherese Upper Middle Class ?!

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    I'm curious about the "doctor you called to your hotel room"? And paying him $400 for a "pain-killing injection". As far as I know, doctors do not make house/hotel calls. In cases like yours, we call an ambulance or head to the nearest ER. Anyway, so sorry this happened to you in a different country; the scariest thing about travelling . . . . .
     
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  11. NotFromConcentrate

    NotFromConcentrate It’s a Cassowary :)

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    Echoing everyone else's sympathies, I'm so sorry that this happened to you, and wish you a speedy and smooth recovery.

    Since no one has said this just yet, I'll add this as well... you and your wife should contact each and every one of your credit card providers. It's very possible that you may have even partial emergency medical insurance on one or more of your cards. Some cards require you to pay for the trip with it, others don't.

    Even if it's just an hour wasted on phone calls to hear "no", this is a very worthwhile avenue to pursue, IMO. It's possible that you could have had coverage this entire time without even knowing about it. A five-minute call could be a $64,000 savings.
     
    [TENTATIVE Late Jul/Early Aug] Vegas by way of Chicago/Elko/Reno!
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  12. Camp Rusty

    Camp Rusty VIP Whale

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    Comfortable journey and feel better soon.

    So sorry you are in pain.

    May the four winds blow you safely home.:angel:
     
  13. dosset17

    dosset17 Newbie

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    Hi Everyone.

    This is terrible and I wish you a speedy recovery. To see the positive it is good this was treated so quickly. Sepsis is terrible.
    I echo the poster above about your credit cards. Do you have an Amex? Some of them have good insurance.

    As this may come up in future search’s I think it’s very important to advise anyone in future it is very important to take travel insurance. In the UK this is relatively simple below the age of 65. The local post office can do it or there are a range of options online. Good, yearly policies that cover multi trips should cost no more than £150. Single trip around £50. It goes up with age. This of course doesn’t help the op but may help someone stumbling across this in the future.
     
  14. PlanetMark

    PlanetMark Low-Roller

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    A lot of UK banks have travel insurance included with your current account. Its not the best coverage afik (with Lloyds, though never tried to use it), could be worth looking into?
     
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  15. bnlphan

    bnlphan Degenerate In Training

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    Best wishes for a full recovery.

    My first thought on this is how you credit ratings work over there. Would a delinquent bill in the U.S. even be reported to your credit rating system? Can they garnish an oversea resident? Hoping you can get by with paying them what you want and basically stiffing them on the rest with no impact to your credit at home.
    Second you'd be surprised how much of a bill they will forgive if you just ask. Was told they use it as a tax write off. I didnt believe it until I saw it myself from my father. I thought he was wasting his time going to the hospital and telling them he couldnt afford the bill after insurance and they waived it all.
     
    NYNY,Cannery,Sam's Town Jun4-11
  16. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

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    I am so sorry you are going through this; stories like this sure make me appreciate our government funded health care in Canada.

    Is there a possibility you have some travel health insurance coverage on your credit card if used to purchase your flights? I have travel insurance through my employer but as I age, falling ill while out of the countryis a worry.

    I wish you the best for a quick recovery.
     
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2018
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  17. Jacqueline866

    Jacqueline866 Tourist

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    I dont understand why you left uk with no travel insurance, thats madness.
     
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  18. bignig135

    bignig135 Low-Roller

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    OP here. thanks to all who have written! To the many who query our sanity re not taking out full health insurance, yes, we did compare many travel insurance companies with full declaration of my sleep apnea, obesity ,depression, gout, diabetes type 2, sinusitis etc. etc. - average premium for two weeks equal led anything from £2-3000 upwards!

    Then we dug deeper into the " specialised " insurance companies, who say no illnesses refused, on close inspection and reading the small print, you are very unlikely to find much better! The entire cost of our annual two weeks, accommodation and travel is usually £1500 for us both- the very best price for travel insurance declaring everything medical came in at just over £1000, with a £500 excess per condition- sure in hindsight a bargain but you think £1500 or £2500 and no problems in 20 trips? Yes, we were spectacularly wrong!!!!! However, taking into consideration 21 years of the thousands of dollars we have saved by not buying insurance........

    My current medical situation is a herniated spine, I was offered an almost immediate op here in Vegas but a six week recovery or wrap safely as much as possible and travel home on Tuesday as originally planned and have the op done at home as and when the NHS can get round to me. I do feel guilty about this debt I now have and certainly don't want to add any more to it, plus another 6 weeks in hospital would be a nightmare at home never mind thousands of miles from home.

    Re the bill itself, we estimate maybe $150,000 ? The hospital have told us as we aren't covered by insurance, there will be an automatic 60% reduction, so somewhere around $ 60,000 due by us. We paid $ 500 the day I was admitted.

    Finally, we were extremely loathe to simply go straight to Emergency Room precisely because we broadly knew it would be very expensive for any kind of treatment. The doctor who came to our hotel room was recommended by the hotel who stated this service is used widely by Strip hotels. thanks again all.
     
  19. The Rumor

    The Rumor VIP Whale

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    The reason they quoted you such a high premium was because they thought there was a good chance you'd be going to a hospital in the US given your personal health characteristics. Would you rather have paid 1500 GBP per year for 20 years or 45k GBP in one year? I don't mean to kick a man when he's down, but you are a cautionary tale for everyone else here.

    My gut is you should be able to settle this for lower than 60k, but you may need a lawyer or other expert advisor to help you with that. I have no insight as to how bills of foreign nationals get negotiated down. You should do some searching. My gut is, if you go to them and offer some amount less but paid in full (25k? 40k? I have no idea), they may agree to take it and move on.
     
  20. Corinne

    Corinne Low-Roller

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    Wow, what a nightmare. A big lesson for Brits. Either get insurance or go to Europe where, with the EHIC card, we get free treatment. I travelled to Vegas for many years on my BUPA overseas insurance included with my private medical Little did I realise I had to be with my husband to be covered. He was covered on his own but the joint cover only kicked in for me if he was with me. I had a few palpitations when I realised that. Luckily I wasn’t ill and they’ve now changed it. Phew. Hope you can get the bill down.

    I did hear of a case where someone had a heart attack and got free treatment because it was deemed life saving. Can you use Sepsis as a reason to get it free I wonder? May be worth questioning it. Good Luck.
     
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