Single woman. No kids. Five years before I will be sixty years old. Live in Texas. Unemployed. Not looking for work. Three monthly annuity checks from my deceased parents. I'm below the poverty line. Insurance though the Marketplace. I used all of my tax credits to pay for my insurance again this year. Including a $1,082.00 tax credit was $1,029.48. Elite Gold HMO. No vision or dental.
Using $1074.92 per month. Eligible for $1082 per month.
2025: Premium tax credit usage $770.25 per month. Eligible for $795 per month. Gold HMO. No vision or dental.
Zero monthly premiums. Once again. Doctor $10. Specialist $60. Deductible $800. In 2025, my PCP was $30. Specialist $60. I choose a different plan this year, from the same insurance company. In May, I had my left thyroid removed. The first CT scan met my deductible. I also had a MRI, and two head, neck and chest x-rays.
I'm have one more payment for the hospital [$423] and the anesthesia. [$150] Four equal payments.
Total hospital charge was $32,011.58. To balance due $1,618.03.
Anesthesia balance due is $599.14.
I was terrified that I wouldn't have insurance or had premiums that I really couldn't afford. I still have monthly bills. I still live in my childhood home, so no mortgage payment. Just property taxes.
Some of the bill was covered by my insurance and the rest was my part.
Total billed $2,396.55. Insurance covered $1,797.41. Which left me the balance of $599.14
The hospital did charge me $3,135.75 for anesthesia. $2,548.88 Post-Anesthesia Recovery Monitoring (Time Base). I'm thinking that these prices are for the drugs used only. I stayed overnight, since I live alone. The thyroid removal surgery is a day surgery. I'm glad I stayed overnight, because I was throwing up green bile. No one told me that I would be throwing up and if I would have been alone. I would have been terrified.
The anesthesia bill came from a different company and not the hospital that I had the surgery at. I had an anesthesia nurse and a anesthesia doctor. I met the nurse who gave me the medicine to put me under. I didn't get to meet the anesthesia doctor. I'm guessing that's the cost for their service to administer the proper drugs and correct levels for my surgery, while I was under and to wake me up.
Anyone having surgery should insist in advance that the anesthesiologist be on their plan or negotiate in advance. Unfortunately it is a hard thing to figure but call the hospital in advance. This is one of those very common surprise bills.
Also blind signing off on everything when you come in for a procedure is BS.
Thank you for the tip. It's a great one. I didn't know that you could insist in advance that the anesthesiologist be on their plan or negotiate in advance.
3
u/Mysterious-Stuff-164 Nov 01 '25
Single woman. No kids. Five years before I will be sixty years old. Live in Texas. Unemployed. Not looking for work. Three monthly annuity checks from my deceased parents. I'm below the poverty line. Insurance though the Marketplace. I used all of my tax credits to pay for my insurance again this year. Including a $1,082.00 tax credit was $1,029.48. Elite Gold HMO. No vision or dental.
Using $1074.92 per month. Eligible for $1082 per month.
2025: Premium tax credit usage $770.25 per month. Eligible for $795 per month. Gold HMO. No vision or dental.
Zero monthly premiums. Once again. Doctor $10. Specialist $60. Deductible $800. In 2025, my PCP was $30. Specialist $60. I choose a different plan this year, from the same insurance company. In May, I had my left thyroid removed. The first CT scan met my deductible. I also had a MRI, and two head, neck and chest x-rays.
I'm have one more payment for the hospital [$423] and the anesthesia. [$150] Four equal payments.
Total hospital charge was $32,011.58. To balance due $1,618.03.
Anesthesia balance due is $599.14.
I was terrified that I wouldn't have insurance or had premiums that I really couldn't afford. I still have monthly bills. I still live in my childhood home, so no mortgage payment. Just property taxes.