I Have What's Considered Good Health Insurance.

[Avalux]

But what does that really mean?

I've recently been suffering from chronic neck pain, secondary to a motor vehicle accident several years ago. I had an MRI done at the time which revealed herniated disks in my cervical and thoracic spine. I visited my physician to come up with a game plan and he suggested I get a recent MRI of the area to compare and determine if my condition has gotten worse.

Just got off the phone with the Aetna and the radiology facility. Here are the numbers:

Cervical Spine MRI w/o contrast: $1516.00
Thoracic Spine MRI w/o contrast: $1623.00

Total: $3139.00

My deductible is $250.00 and I am responsible for 20% of the cost of the MRIs. My amount due at visit for MRIs: $877.00

I probably shouldn't be complaining because I actually HAVE health insurance. But what good is it when I can't take care of my out of pocket costs? I certainly can't afford this right now so I won't be getting the MRIs. I laughed at the billing rep when she asked if I wanted to schedule an appointment.

:(