The woman had always been someone who was willing to fight for what she believed in, and when her boyfriend was hit with a ridiculous medical bill following an ER visit, she saw an opportunity to put her skills to the test.
A Simple Fight
Determined to get the charges reduced, she offered to dispute the bill on her boyfriend’s behalf, and he agreed. At first, she thought it would be a simple process – she would call the hospital’s billing department, dispute the charges, and be done with it.
Way More Complex
But as she dug deeper into the issue, she realized that the problem was far more complex than she had initially thought. After getting an itemized bill and comparing the prices for each code to the fair prices, she called billing to dispute the bill, but was told that billing only collects bills, and that she would need to contact admin to dispute the charges.
Time to Sort the Situation!
Bouncing around a call center for hours trying to get someone who was actually qualified to deal with bill disputes, she quickly became frustrated with the process. So she decided to take matters into her own hands.
She Stalked the Hospital Board!
She began by searching Google and LinkedIn for the hospital’s board of directors and upper management, eventually compiling a list of 30 email addresses of the most influential people at the hospital, plus the hospital’s investors.
A Bitter Email Chain
Every day, she would send a few emails, working her way up the chain, and writing an (increasingly long) email describing how they billed her “client” at 7 times over the fair price for services rendered, and how their billing department, customer service department, and the growing list of management she’d emailed had failed to address the issue.
Stern and Forceful
As the days went on, the woman’s emails became increasingly stern and forceful, as she escalated her complaints until she was writing to director-level staff with the entire board of directors and a number of outside investors CC’d, asking for a written statement regarding their justification for billing at a rate 7 times higher than the national average for commensurate services to what is available at other hospitals.
A HUGE Success
Finally, after weeks of back-and-forth, the hospital agreed to reduce the bill from $5000 to $26, leaving the woman feeling victorious and proud of her efforts.
He Got Very Stressed
But when she told her boyfriend the good news, his reaction was not what she had expected. While he was initially overjoyed and blown away by her success, he quickly became stressed when he saw the number of emails she had sent, accusing her of going too far and being a “jerk” in her approach. He felt that she had overstepped her bounds and that her actions had been excessive.
She Was Proud
The woman was taken aback by her boyfriend’s reaction. She had just saved them $5000, which meant they could now afford a nice Christmas and save some money. She was proud of what she had accomplished and felt that her approach had been justified.
He Had a Different View
But her boyfriend didn’t see it that way. To him, her actions had been too aggressive, and he felt that she had put too much pressure on the hospital’s administration. He was worried that her approach might have negative consequences, and he didn’t want to be associated with someone who was seen as a troublemaker.
The Internet Responded
This commenter posted, “You are a complete rock star and absolutely should be a professional advocate for those who get ripped off in healthcare like this. Your boyfriend is so unappreciative and is clearly clueless on how diligent you need to be to challenge an erroneous bill.”
More Internet Responses
Another person wrote, “Seriously, you have mad skills at dealing with bureaucracy, along with a huge helping of focus and courage. You should be so so proud of yourself!!”
A Final Comment
This person said, “Why’s he stressed? All he had to do was make one phone call to authorize you to go crazy on them, which you did. Send him a bill for $4974 for your efforts. Good lord.”
MORE FROM SMART GAMING LAB – A WOMAN AND HER HUSBAND PAID OFF THE MORTGAGE ON THE HOUSE HE INHERITED WITH HIS SIBLINGS, WHEN HE WANTED TO “BUY OUT” HIS SIBLINGS WHO HADN’T CONTRIBUTED FINANCIALLY, SHE WAS FURIOUS
After her husband’s parents passed away, leaving a house to her husband and his siblings, she and her husband decided to make it their permanent home, causing conflict with his siblings.
AFTER TRAGICALLY LOSING HER FATHER TO CANCER AND INHERITING A ONE HUNDRED YEAR OLD HOME, SHE’S NOW FACING ENTITLED, RUDE AND MESSY SIBLINGS AND A VERY MESSY EVICTION
Imagine inheriting a family home that has been in your family for over a hundred years. Now, imagine having to share that home with a messy, entitled, and rude brother and his girlfriend who moved in without even asking. This is the reality for a 19-year-old girl who lost her father to cancer last year and inherited 90% of his possessions, including the family home.
HER HUSBAND LEFT MULTIPLE GIFTS TO BE OPENED EACH HOLIDAY AFTER HIS DEATH, BUT HER BROTHER-IN-LAW RUINED IT ALL AND NOW SHE WANTS TO BOOT HIM OUT
A woman lost her husband and a couple of weeks later let her brother-in-law and his kids move into their house after he lost his job. But it wasn’t long before he became a nuisance, and she had to kick him to the curb.
YOUNG LOTTERY WINNER BUYS HOUSE WITH MODEST WINNINGS, BUT FAMILY ACCUSES HER OF SELFISHNESS FOR NOT SHARING – WHO WAS IN THE RIGHT?
A young woman in London won nearly £70,000 in the lottery and used it to buy a house in North Yorkshire. Was she right to keep the money for herself, or should she have shared her winnings with her family? Find out what happened after her lottery win and how it changed her relationship with her loved ones.
A FATHER REFUSED TO PAY FOR HIS DAUGHTER’S WEDDING, SHE FAILED TO INVITE HER TWO BROTHERS WHO IDENTIFY AS LGBTQ+, HER FIANCÉ’S TRADITIONAL FAMILY DISCRIMINATED AGAINST HER BROTHERS
A 56-year-old father was happy to pay for his daughter’s wedding until she refused to invite two out of four siblings. His daughter said her soon-to-be in-laws were from a traditional country and would feel uncomfortable around anyone in a gay/ queer marriage. So she excluded her siblings, Alex and Tom, because they were both married to men, and one identified as non-binary.
Images are for illustrative purposes only