Cha-ching!

Received in the mail yesterday:

"Dear Elizabeth Self:

Thank you for choosing Northwestern Memorial Hospital for your health care services. This statement provides the current status of your account and detailed information concerning your outpatient services rendered on 07-11-2006. The reverse side of this form provides a detail of charges and information payment activity.

We have billed your insurance carries, BLUE CROSS, for these services. If this information is incorrect or incomplete, please call us immediately. Your primary insurance carrier is contracted with Northwestern Memorial Hospital to pay benefits on your behalf. Their payment will be based on the contracted rates, which may be different from your total charges of $6,584.00. If you have any questions about your insurance benefits, please contact your carrier directly.

This statement represents only the hospital bill. Your physician, surgeon(s), pathologist, radiologist, anesthesiologists and other specialists bill separately for their services. You should contact them directly with any questions related to their billing.

Sincerely,

Patient Financial Services"

How did it break down?
Pharmacy $433.00
Radiology $3,472.00
Laboratory $512.00
Emergency Room $1,885.00
Therapy Svs -- Observation $282.00

From that above list, I anticipate receiving bills from the physician and the radiologist (the latter of whom read my CT the next day).

Total Benefits Approved by BlueCross Blue Shielf of Illinois based on "negotiated discounts with this provider": $3,410.57
Amount Wes and I pay, aside from our monthly insurance premium: $0.00

Having health insurance in this country: Priceless