"No, I don't thank you for the fish at all" (notindetroit)
08/04/2015 at 11:58 • Filed to: None
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"No, I don't thank you for the fish at all" (notindetroit)
08/04/2015 at 11:58 • Filed to: None | 1
| 5 |
So yeah, last time I said !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! I need someone to talk to again.
I guess the first thing I should cover is that I feel pretty shitty for some medical-related reasons. A year ago (fall semester 2014) when I was still in school I was seeing a therapist, and the therapist ended up prescribing some drugs which ended up having some not-so-fun side effects to the point where relationships with friends and family were suffering (which I’ve posted about before). I’ve attempted to bring this to the attention of my therapist but my therapist had conveniently decided to make himself unavailable during this time, and when I was finally able to meet up with him he “persuaded” me into a 72 hour hospitalization watch to basically pawn me off to other professional - and by “persuaded” I mean he either mislead through vagueries or directly lied to me about what the nature of the stay would be, the conditions of my discharge and how long the length of stay would be, and how costs would be covered. I’ve written before about this too, and in the end I ended up with over $10,000 in medical bills I am unable to pay. My therapist said that he and his office will do his best to take care of the bills and told me that his office has experience with exactly this type of thing and were previously able to bring the total costs down to absolutely zero. I signed the necessary paperwork and disclosure waivers and months and months later I am now routinely hounded by the hospital’s bill collection office and some of my bills have been handed to collection agencies who are now hounding me too. The last time I talked to the hospital’s collection office I told them that my therapist’s office had sent them paperwork months ago, and they had informed me that they have received no paperwork from that office whatsoever.
At that point I decided it was time to quit talking to my therapist and start talking to a lawyer.
I have contacted Jalopnik’s very own Steve Lehto for advice, and consulted with every medical and business malpractice lawyer I can find locally. Unfortunately it seems that Colorado law specifically excludes government-sponsored institutions from lawsuits whatsoever, which my therapist would qualify since he works out of a state-sponsored higher ed campus. So it seems like I’m screwed there.
So the first thing I’d like to ask is if there’s any help I can have in either finding a way to make these bills go away or finding a lawyer who might be able to find a legal exception to these rules and take on this case.
The second thing is that I’m very sick and tired of being stuck where I am and I want to leave Colorado, maybe for somewhere more southwest that’s warm in the winter though a perpetually baked desert oven like Arizona might be a bit much. Preferably by the end of the month. I’d obviously need to find a new permanent residence and employment so if any of you have any advice there I’d appreciate it as well.
HammerheadFistpunch
> No, I don't thank you for the fish at all
08/04/2015 at 12:11 |
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It might be a long shot, but you should consider talking to the PR director of the hospital or to find out of they have a community benefit coordinator for the hospital or the system. Typically collections and billing isn’t handled by the same people that run the place or its a 3rd party system. Many times hospitals have programs in place to pay for care if the patient is unable to, but the bill pay company or division doesn’t handle that at all. I work for a large hospital system just over the mountains and I know we do a lot of bill pay reconciliation on a case by case bases for patients for various reasons and I suspect the hospital will work with you to figure out payment strategies or to contact your therapists office and coordinate payment that way. The trick is that you have to be heard. Try official channels like a PR coordinator or communications office, then try their official social media channels, they should be monitored.
Officer Jim Lahey is not a real cop
> HammerheadFistpunch
08/04/2015 at 12:15 |
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This.
A few years ago while I was in school, my then-girlfriend had a run-in with some possibly rabit bats (long story). She had to go for a course of rabies shots at the local ER (rural area; only place they kept the stuff in stock). The total bill was about $10,000. But because at the time neither of us had any income, the hospital waived all the fees.
Push for this.
iSureWilll
> No, I don't thank you for the fish at all
08/04/2015 at 12:35 |
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What the other guys said about talking to the PR director. Most likely they will drop MOST of the charges if not all. Just prove you have no money with a bank account that has like, $100 in it.
On another note, I have a very very close friend who was seeing a therapist and got prescribed some meds. Then when there were weird side effects, they just prescribed more meds. And more meds. Eventually my friend ended up in a mental hospital. ( I didn’t know them then but can confirm as I’ve heard their parents talk about it ) and I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone. My friend is now in a relationship of over 4 years, with a good job, and on their way to a great life. You’ll get through it to and end up a way stronger person. Keep your head up.
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Officer Jim Lahey is not a real cop
> No, I don't thank you for the fish at all
08/04/2015 at 12:41 |
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As someone who’s struggled with depression and related issues, I sympathize. I’m happy to listen, or to share what’s helped me.
As a lawyer who doesn’t focus on this kind of law at all, I don’t have much to offer in that area. I’d hate to give you bad advice, so I’ll only suggest that you see my response to the comment from HammerheadFistpunch; if that doesn’t work, go back to the school counseling office that it sounds like you were referred by and ask them for a status update.
As a relatively new San Diegan, this place is sweet. Plenty of opportunities to get my 15 mins if sun and a little exercise every day (both tend to help with depression). Gray, rainy days don’t help my mental health, and there are few such days here. If you have specific questions about the city, neighborhoods, jobs, etc. I’ll do my best to answer them.
SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
> No, I don't thank you for the fish at all
08/05/2015 at 08:08 |
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This really isn’t the place to be relying on for solid life advice.
These are the kind of things your real life family and friends should be helping you with. If you become dependent on Oppo for such things, only to find that Oppo cannot support you, it’ll get ugly.
That’s my advice to you
Caveat emptor: I’m speaking as a user here, and not a moderator