Primo: The hospital settled with my parents.
Me: Oh good grief. They probably just paid them to go away.
Primo: Yes.
Me: And now you and I will pay higher insurance premiums
because medical costs will go up. How much did they get?
Primo: About fifty thousand dollars.
Me: Not too shabby for a broken wrist.
Primo: But they are pissed because Medicare took a bunch of
it.
Me: Well of course.
Primo: What do you mean “of course?”
Me: Of course Medicare is going to subrogate!
Primo: What?
I used to work for a health insurance company. I know how
these things work.
Me: When you sue for something like that – something that is
related to an injury that is the fault of another party – the health insurance
company gets reimbursed. If you had a car accident and were injured and had
medical expenses and got a big payout from USAA, your health insurance would
demand reimbursement for the medical expenses.
Primo: That doesn’t seem fair.
Me: It’s completely fair. This is not supposed to be a
money-making business for your parents. Besides, isn’t assigning blame their
favorite thing to do? Well, Medicare said, “Yes you’re right that blame belongs
to the hospital so they can pay for your medical care.”
Primo: Yeah, I guess you’re right.
Me: Haven’t you ever noticed when you go to the doctor or
when you send in a claim, they always ask if this condition is the result of an
accident or if it happened at work?
Primo: I don’t go to the doctor.
Me: OK. Well, that question is always somewhere at the
doctor’s. It’s so they can sue someone else for the money. I am kind of
surprised that your dad, The Smartest Man in the World, did not know this.
Primo: He didn’t. And he’s pissed.
Me: Oh well. How much did they end up with?
Primo: About ten grand.
Me: That’s still not too bad for something that happened
because your mom was drunk.
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