Prudent steps to a healthier hospital bill

Some prudent steps can be taken to bring healthcare costs down. First, patients must not think that if they are insured, it is okay not to check hospital bills or query about the bill, especially at a private hospital.

Two years ago, my husband was treated for cancer at a private hospital. The estimate given was S$2,000 per treatment. But the first invoice we received, when my husband was being discharged, was for S$3,800.

We asked about this, and it took three hours before we were told that there was a mistake; the bill was actually S$1,800.

Similarly, the estimate given for his subsequent operation was S$8,000, but it came up to S$11,000.

We also questioned this, and it became so ugly that I now understand why hospitalisation insurance premiums are so high. The hospital billing officers simply added up the “miscellaneous expenses” to increase the billing amount. After all, the insurer, not the patient, was going to pay.

Second, we must educate healthcare practitioners to be more ethical, and not take advantage of insurance coverage by asking patients to do unnecessary tests.

I was once recommended, at a private clinic, to do a colonoscopy; it came up to S$1,300. Though I did not have to pay for it, claims like these will lead to higher premiums and higher healthcare costs.