german woman conned by a hospital in sosua?

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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the report is here:
TURISTA ALEMANA DENUNCIA POR TRES D?AS DE INTERNAMIENTO POR AMEBA COBRARON 25,OOO DOLARES Y NO LE DEVUELVEN US 5,000 QUE DEPOSITO AL LLEGAR, EN CENTRO MEDICO DE SOSUA

the woman deposited 5k dollars upon being admitted to the hospital with her two kids in august last year. the hospital charged her insurance a whooping 25 thousand dollars for the treatment and 3 nights in the hospital. they are now refusing to refund the initial deposit.

and wtf? 25k dollars for a treatment of a god damn amoeba? my surgery and one night in a luxurious suit in clinica union was about 1,250 dollars. this money is INSANE!
 

mountainannie

Platinum
Dec 11, 2003
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I had two nights at Clinic Abreu for less than $1000....

What do they do for Amobea besides a poop test and bags of fluid? maybe some Flagyl or something?

But shouldn't the hospital have something a bit more professional than a hand written receipt? What is this place?
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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i do not understand this either. and that her german insurer paid up? 25k dollars? i don't even know what to say. a night in a small clinic cannot be more than a 100 dollars. 3 nights, 3 people, round it up to 1k. medicine should not have been more than another 1k. 25 thousand? i have no words.
 

Abuela

Bronze
May 13, 2006
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I believe this is about the clinic in Sosua on Pedro Clisante not the Cabarete Medical Center in Sosua.
 

mountainannie

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Dec 11, 2003
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i do not understand this either. and that her german insurer paid up? 25k dollars? i don't even know what to say. a night in a small clinic cannot be more than a 100 dollars. 3 nights, 3 people, round it up to 1k. medicine should not have been more than another 1k. 25 thousand? i have no words.

maybe there was a mistake and the bill was in pesos? but they paid in dollars?

that would make more sense.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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i thought about that too, MA.

in any case, the bottom line in this story is that the clinic does not want to return the deposit.
 

La Profe_1

Moderator: Daily Headline News, Travel & Tourism
Oct 15, 2003
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I believe the charges to the insurance company. In 2005 I spent two short overnight admissions to Centro Medico Bournigal in Puerto Plata for reduction of the fracture of the two bones in my right forearm (twice!) under general anesthesia. I used my US insurance for coverage. Because Bournigal was a "participating provider" and they got pre-authorization, I did not have to pay any deposit at admission, but they did take an impression of my credit card.

Bournigal billed my US insurance almost twelve thousand dollars for two overnight admissions. Blue Cross/Shield paid in full and I didn't have to come up with a cent. However, since then I obtained local insurance since I refuse to allow my US insurance to be gouged like that.

ETA: When a patient has international insurance, the clinics here charge international rates for the same services that are much cheaper if paid outright or with local insurance.
 

POP Bad Boy

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Jun 27, 2004
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I had exactly the same experience. Two nights, Bournigal, Blue Cross / Blue Shield about 6 years ago. It was a respiratory type thing, and this was the second time I had the problem. The first time I paid myself and I do not think it was more than $400.00 US. For some reason, I decided to use my BC/BS the 2nd time and they billed them around 10k. It really ****ed me off and I went up quite a few tiers at BC/BS to file a complaint, and they wouldn't do a thing and could care less!
 

Tom F.

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
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Dr. Bounigal inserted a metal pin in my leg in 1988 at Clinica Abreu in Sousa after a late night attack while sleeping. Four days at the clinic and everything was under US$2,000 and my insurance company paid in full when I submitted my receipts.
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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all i can say that it is crucial to have a local health insurance. nothing better.
 

Drro

Bronze
Mar 22, 2006
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There is insurance now for people over 70 here in the DR. PM me for information if you like. It's with Humano.
 

bienamor

Kansas redneck an proud of it
Apr 23, 2004
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Heart attack in 2007 treated at CEDIMAT. 3 stents. 3 days in ICU, 3 days in private suite. 600,000rd. Paid and resubmitted to my US insurance. Paid in full. Less than the 25K they paid. and received a whole lot more. No complaints over the price
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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It's one thing to charge the going rate but that is just off the charts. Poor Frau Flescher would have been better off getting mugged on the street. And the moron couldn't spell much better than a street bagsnatcher anyway - "abance de pago" my arse.

I was on a work trip - in another country - when my colleague and travel companion succumbed to the local lurgy. She was very unwell one night so I got the hotel to call a doctor who examined her, gave her some sensible advice and prescribed medicine.When I asked him for the bill he bowed and said - no no no, you are visitors to my country.
 

hammerdown

Bronze
Apr 29, 2005
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From what I heard of this story, she put the deposit and that was to be refunded when her insurance paid up, but when she saw how much the bill to the insurance company was, she wanted her 'cut'. When the doc refused, she complained to the insurance company and they refused to pay, so he refuses to refund the deposit.......
 

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
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From what I heard of this story, she put the deposit and that was to be refunded when her insurance paid up, but when she saw how much the bill to the insurance company was, she wanted her 'cut'. When the doc refused, she complained to the insurance company and they refused to pay, so he refuses to refund the deposit.......

Interesting. There is often a lot more to a story than is first published. I doubt there is any investigation by the rumor/crime sheets here before publishing. Later, when the facts come out, they get very little attention.
 

ctrob

Silver
Nov 9, 2006
5,591
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Thy never gone learn it,gringos take so much like you can.
And thy want more toerist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You almost maxed out on the exclamation points there, cowboy. But seriously, what do you mean? Are you saying you don't like tourists? Assuming you are Dominican, how can you not like tourists?