Note
Geisinger Health denied my application for financial assistance for a $376,000 hospital bill despite my income being under their limit.
This bill is the result of three nights in the hospital, blood tests, and 10 vials of Crofab antivenom charged at roughly $36,000 per vial, which is 10x the normal rate.
It is beyond my understanding why Geisinger would charge an uninsured patient 10x the normal rate or expect me to be able pay 10 years of my annual income.
My options as they stand now appear to be bankruptcy or a winning lottery ticket.
I have made several social media posts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. If you are friends with me or follow me, please share, comment, or give it an angry face. Non-profit hospitals like Geisinger have an agreement with the federal goverment to not pay taxes in exchange for financial assistance.
Even by their calculations, my income qualifies me for financial assistance. So let's see if we can make at least one hospital comply with its own stated policy before they sell my debt to a collection agency.