Discussion: $28K

What reason did they give you for that?! Do they consider it to be elective / optional???

No reason. Just that's what they'll cover. The hospital called me three days before to let me know. I called the insurance they said that's what I'm covered for?? I pay $487/month! (Sorry, used to). In my wife's case her cancer returned two years later. Baylor said she needed a combo of two chemos one of which (Perjeta??) United wouldn't cover as it was experimental. Within 18 months it became "the" treatment for Her2 positive BC in her situation. But we had to sell our house. I'm looking forward to embracing the NHS in my old age.
NB. The lady in the finance Dept. did say she'd never received a response like it and added "your insurance isn't very good."

On top of all this my wife's currently fighting her employer (Wycoff Hospitals) to get a lymph node transplant. She can barely work. This time the excuse is it's "cosmetic". Needless to say we're not enamoured by the US healthcare system.

That -- all of it -- is horrifying. Even though I work in the healthcare world, I'm glad it has always been on the side of practices / patients, not payers (like United); I've already told my old co-workers I don't want any part of that evil empire when I start job hunting again...

I'm really sorry to hear you & your wife are having to battle all that just to get proper healthcare.

What makes me fume is together we pay probably $1300/month for the the family. We are literally receiving zero in return. Nobody is answerable to this. I couldn't imagine if pre-existing conditions returned. I'd never even think to buy health insurance. Just pay a negotiated rate all the time. Fortunately we have a secondary in this case. So after I've taken a loan out (credit card) for Thursday, I'll be able to pay it off (with interest) when Liberty Mutual pay me back four months later. Grrrrrr