unfair hospital billing

To:  rural hospitals

On June, 25th 2008 early in the morning we homebirthed our son Alexander. I was helped by my husband, and parents of my husband and our daughter. Immediately after the birth I,
my husband and our newborn son got in the car and went to Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital.The purpose of my arrival to Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital on June 25, 2008 was to confirm the birth or our child so we could receive a birth certificate.
I knew all was well. This was not an extreme medical emergency. I am licenced and have certificates in Russia for home birthing. My home birth was planned. The child was healthy and did not requrie any medicines or treatment.
I felt well. I simply asked the doctors to examine me for presence of internal ruptures (as it can be a little problematic to examine myself).
I said to the doctor that I have all analyses including blood - all have been made in the medical centre from the embassy in February, 2008 before departure from Russia - therefore, any analyses were unnecessary.
We were in the hospital for less than an hour while papers were legalized,we were examined and left for home. Later to our shock we recieved a bill from Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital for $2000. In the 3 next months I communicated with hospital by phone, and in writing, expressing the disagreement with this sum, as a result of 4 months the only letter which has come said that it would reduce my bill by 240$, and it was never explained how they came to these figures. I have decided that I will not communicate with hospital further - I have spent enough time and nerves, and all is ineffective. I have decided that it is necessary to search for justice in other places and consequently I write this letter - I wish to find people for which Hippocratic Oath and International Human Rights, still mean something.
Understand me correctly. I do not advocate homebirth and I'm not against medical treatment if it is necessary for the person. I'm a healthy and competent woman and a doctor who has given birth to a son (as well as the daughter 6.5 years ago) naturally. In the same way as all wildlife uses Divine help, this has worked for many generations. But I stand for the people who earn money by fair work, instead of using official positions to engage in extortion.
I carried the baby 9 months, gave birth myself, I sat down in the car right afterwards and went to Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital, so that we could confirm the the birth and get a birth certificate for our son. For this simple procedure SMH gave me a bill for 2000$, this has saddened the pleasure of motherhood.
Necessary to investigate financial administrators and financial infringements of this hospital to make sure that similar situations did not repeat. For example-to force the hospital to give the patients a price on services before reception of services as it is done by other trades (sellers, masseurs, restauraunteurs, hairdressers and ect...) that completely corresponds to the rights and standards of the consumer.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The unfair hospital billing Petition to rural hospitals was created by and written by Anna Kopecky (anna-harmony@yandex.ru).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.