I'm not sure which category this should really go in, as it's sort of a question and sort of a complaint.
I just had my first doctor's visit on my own insurance about a month ago. I got the bill today, and my out of pocket is only $30.
I had jammed my thumb but it still hurt over a week later, and was getting worse, so all I really wanted was an X-ray to make sure it wasn't broken.
The initial final bill was -
New Doctor Office Visit - $160
Wrist-hand-finger Brace - $307.55
Splint or Brace Fitting - $95.00
X-ray of Hand - $48.00
I have no problem with the visit cost (it's high, but it's the 'cost of doing business') or the x-ray, which actually seemed low.
The brace I received is identical to
this one for $30.
And I put the damn thing on myself, how do they get away charging $95 for the fitting?
It just seems insane they can more than double the cost of the visit by adding on a splint that wasn't necessary to begin with. If I didn't have insurance, what would I do differently to lower the cost? Would I just question the expense of everything? I mean, for $400, I could have made myself a pretty f'in awesome splint.