ferrie
she/they
- May 19, 2024
- 513
I overdosed in March attempting to CTB, and I finally have all the medical bills associated with the attempt. I'm in the US, so I knew that the medical care I received would be outlandishly expensive even with insurance. Seeing the actual numbers is insane though. Just the ambulance ride to the hospital was $1400 AFTER insurance. I was in the ER for two days & then intensive care for five, which surprisingly only ended up being $1200. I saw a cardiologist while I was in intensive care though, and he charged me $500 for a 5 minute consultation where he told me that my heart rate consistently going over 170 any time I stood up was just my anxiety & to see him when I was normal 
Then I was sent to a psych ward. I had to be transported by ambulance, which was $300. I stayed on the ward for 7 days, and only saw the psychiatrist once the entire time I was there, yet they charged me over $1000 a day. Without insurance, my bill for just the psych ward would have been $7600. Insurance brought it down to $1400, but I had to pay same day when I was discharged or the ward would charge me $200 for going on a payment plan. I've had to do a lot of follow up medical appointments since I was discharged bc of complications with my overdose, which I'm still in the process of, to the point that I've thankfully hit my out of pocket expenses for the year for my insurance. But without insurance this would've been insane. Rough estimate I probably would owe $40,000 in medical expenses so far this year without insurance. It's just insane that they can charge so much from suicidal people when none of these visits have even actually done anything for me. Being mentally ill shouldn't put me in crippling medical debt, but here we are 
Then I was sent to a psych ward. I had to be transported by ambulance, which was $300. I stayed on the ward for 7 days, and only saw the psychiatrist once the entire time I was there, yet they charged me over $1000 a day. Without insurance, my bill for just the psych ward would have been $7600. Insurance brought it down to $1400, but I had to pay same day when I was discharged or the ward would charge me $200 for going on a payment plan. I've had to do a lot of follow up medical appointments since I was discharged bc of complications with my overdose, which I'm still in the process of, to the point that I've thankfully hit my out of pocket expenses for the year for my insurance. But without insurance this would've been insane. Rough estimate I probably would owe $40,000 in medical expenses so far this year without insurance. It's just insane that they can charge so much from suicidal people when none of these visits have even actually done anything for me. Being mentally ill shouldn't put me in crippling medical debt, but here we are 
