BG Medical: Insurance Questions

[thestalkmore]

I have two Irish girls subletting at my place this summer and one of them was recently arrested in SF after getting slipped something. Whatever it was sent her into hysterics and the police apparently sent her to the hospital because she was threatening to kill herself. At the hospital they gave her two pills, did nothing else, and released her when she woke up 4 hours later. She received a bill for $1400 in the mail and cannot come close to paying it. She has traveler's insurance, which is supposed to cover the bill, but they have thus far denied her claim on the grounds that psychological care (her bill lists $5 for one pill, 6$ for the other, and 1350 for "psych trauma II") isn't covered even though it was an ER visit which is what is explicitly listed on coverage.

I'm trying to give her advice but am at a loss for what she should do.

-Haggle with the hospital/try to get them to change the code. They want to get paid right?
-Argue with insurance
-Flee. She'll only be in the country for another week or two. This isn't ideal for a lot of reasons, given that she listed my house as the billing address and I don't want to be fending off collection agencies for the rest of time.

[Andarvi]

ER visits are bullshit, as she is finding out. Its rarely the drugs that are the expense (the hospital I work at charges 600% markup on them..sooo imagine how expensive it CAN get). She can try to work out a payment plan and can probably get them to reduce it a little based her flat out inability to pay the 1.4k, but they won't absolve it unfortunately. Her insurance company is going to be even worse to deal with, they can be total bullshit unless legit legal action is taken against them to strongarm, which would cost more than her bill to begin with thus not an option.

[Tyche]

Call them and offer the $700. They'll take it.

[MarkM.]

Here's an example. I had hernia repair surgery in 2005. They gave me two vicodin, billed me 21.38 for the two. I had a prescription filled for 20, it was 18.13 without insurance. Two vicodin costs less than a penny. She should tell the hospital she is poor, etc and can't afford to pay that, try to haggle it down.

[Senji]

need pics for best probable decision.