Mississippi man billed $4K for CT after hospital said insurance would cover it
Jimmie Taggart, 59, visited the clinic at North Mississippi Medical Center in West Point for back pain that CT confirmed to be kidney stones. But the real trouble came when he received a $4,051 bill in the mail after the hospital said his insurance would cover the scan.
The itemized bill, pictured in a Clarion Ledger report, showed the Mississippi clinic charged $5,171 for the scan. Taggart’s insurance company Aetna has a member rate of $3,878.25 for CTs, but his high deductible meant he was billed the full amount.
According to the report, the same scan would have cost $338 at nearby Columbus Imaging Center, an outpatient diagnostic clinic. Taggart is refusing to pay the bill and him and his attorney argued the charge should could even be considered price gouging.
"I think when they see (commercial) insurance, a bulb goes off in their head and they say, 'Money!'" Taggart said to the Ledger. "That's a new clinic and they're trying to pay for it, that's what they're doing."
The entire story delves further into the problem and examines why outpatient imaging facilities typically charge less for similar scans.
Read the full story below:
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.