Tricksy Hospital

For the delivery, we have a copay of $500, which the first two times the hospital billed us for after the fact.  First time it went on a credit card.  Second time I wrote a check relatively promptly, considering the size.  It might have been three months after delivery and a couple months after they billed it.

New policy!

Or new for us, anyway.

You have to pay at the time of service, or pay $100 down and then $50 a month starting a month later.

What was funky about it is that the lady who called was put on the spot by the fact we will be required to be there at 5:00 or 5:30 AM.  Thus my “for us, anyway” speculation.

She insisted that the outpatient office will be open at that hour and we would be going there anyway, so we’ll pay there.  It isn’t, we won’t be, and so we can’t.  Which means we’ll either see them the Friday before, or while she is getting prepped, I’ll run around trying to pay someone.

Sheesh.  I told her I’d just pay the whole thing then.  I’d been kind of fretting about the $500, thinking at least it wouldn’t matter so much if we were slow because it’s the last baby and the last time we have to go there unless anything bad happens, and knowing I may be out of money about the time the bill arrives.  Or out enough that a bill for $500 might as well be a bill for $5000.

It hurts, but luckily I have it on hand right now.  It just compresses what’s available for other things.  With no further revenue, we can get through September for sure and maybe all the way through October before crashing and burning.  The big client owes another 15k and change, of which at least 7k is allocated.  That 15k is in danger of being uncollected, but more likely will get negotiated down to, say, 10k.

I start pushing the new business hard the last week of this month, and seeing what I can do besides on the side.  It could get, as Wash might say, pretty interesting.

Posted by on 08/08 at 09:28 AM

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