I really hate health insurance companies.

I recently had minor outpatient surgery.  About two weeks prior to the surgery the doctor’s office called and made me pay them with a credit card for the upcoming procedure. When I asked how much it was, the biller replied, “as much as you have left of your out-of-pocket requirement.” I didn’t really like that answer but didn’t have much choice, so I paid it.  Immediately after the procedure I started receiving individual bills from all the other people/entities that participated in the procedure, including the anesthesiologist, the surgery center, and the MRI provider.  I’m still expecting more. What about the nurses, the nurse practitioner, the company that made the gurneys, the parking garage guy, and the janitorial company that emptied the trash?  I wonder if those fall under my “out of pocket maximum.”  To make it worse, I’ve also received 43,381 pages of “Health Benefit Explanations” that don’t explain anything. My favorite was one showed “pending claims” of over $12,000.  I have no idea who those claims are from. Maybe the lady who checked me in when I arrived?  It’s got to cost at least $12,000 to generate 43,381 pages of bills.  Good thing I’m insured.