Expect the Unexpected Medical Bills

If your child is going to have surgery, there is much to think about. Scheduling, packing, transportation, fasting the day before, mentally preparing yourself, etc.

And, of course, preparing your child.

I know from experience that worrying about your kid will consume your thoughts. You just want them to be OK throughout the experience.

Once the surgery is over, things will settle back to normal. Your routines will get set.

As things seem like they are calm, the medical bills start rolling in. No one told me that there would be so many. I never slowed down long enough when we were preparing for the surgery to think much about the financial costs.

I did look up how much the procedure would be through my health insurance website. But that was only the surgeon’s fee. And that was only the beginning of the financial responsibility.

Keep in mind all the different professionals who will be caring for your child:

• Surgeon
• Anesthesiologist
• Specialists
• Nurses

And the hospital/facility will send a separate bill. There were so many bills that I didn’t even recognize some of the names or roles of the people requesting payment.

Remember to ask as many questions as possible about who will be caring for your child. This will help you plan for the bills from the whole team that will care for your child.

The Insurance and Financial Help section provides a wide range of information to help.