JPS Hospital

May 19, 2008

Letter sent to Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

Congratulations to all the reporters on the article about JPS. It really was great. County Hospitals are really supposed to help the poor and they do to some extent, but on the other hand they take advantage when they have a chance. One thing I would like to know since it states you checked into their tax documents. I know that in various businesses, when you cannot collect what is considered a bad debt, they can be counted off on your income tax. This happens in insurance agencies when premiums cannot be collected, or did when I was in the insurance business. The premiums in the insurance business are set by the state and are in the rate manuals, and can’t be increased to any amount just to suit the agent.

But doctors, labs and hospitals seem to overcharge on everything, even aspirin. When they send their bills to the insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid they really up the amount. Bills are paid and then they bill the difference to the patient. Some pay and some cannot. Are these amounts charged off on their income tax?

Just before I was 65 I had surgery. I had 3 types of insurance, my husband’s company policy, My personal policy and they had already sent my medicare cards with being requested. I checked in gave my 2 policies information. It was 3 days before I was 65, they asked me and I told them I did not want to use medicare. My husband’s company policy was to pay first, then my personal policy the balance. I was in the hospital 8 days. I had requested my bill be sent to my room, before I was to check out. The didn’t want to, but finally did. When I got the bill to check over, it had already been paid. By medicare….The whole bill…I called the office and told them to return medicare’s check NOW. The other 2 policies were to pay the bill. They didn’t want to, but I told them I would sue
them for not doing as I instructed. They did. It seems easier to cheat the government. Seems Medicare just pays whatever they are billed, evidently Medicaid does also. But private insurance companies do not.

In checking my bill I noted the cost of a box of sanitary napkins, I had used 6 of them (and they were the type we used back in the 40’) and they had charged me $26.00 for them. I called the office and asked if I could get the franchise to furnish sanitary napkins for the hospital. I could go buy them at the drug store for $3.95 for 24 and make quite a profit. They said no. I didn’t really intend to, just wanted them to know I knew they were crooked. This was at Presbyterian hospital in Dallas.

When my husband was going to Law School at SMU, I worked at Parkland Hospital emergency admitting 11PM to 7AM. The very sad thing I took note of; a lot of poor elderly people would not come to the hospital until they were at deaths door and neighbors would bring them in. They wouldn’t come as they had no money or insurance. The saddest was an elderly woman brought in DOA. She had left a note that she had no money and this was the best way to go. She cut her throat with a dull old butcher knife. I put her in the morgue.

I thought surely God’s poor could be treated better than they were being treated. Another sad thing I ran into. I left my office to go into the hall for a drink of water. I saw this lady sitting out in the hall, she was crying. I went back out later and she was still there. I went and asked if I could help her and what was wrong? She had had a baby 3 days before and they told her she had to check out. They told her she couldn’t take the baby until the bill was paid. It was late at night and the business office was already closed. I called the nursery and asked why they did that. Seems that was orders from the business office. I went back to my office and called Judge Richburg and asked if he could come out to Parkland, we had a problem of the hospital holding a ladies baby for ransom.
It took him about 30 minutes to get there from Oak Cliff. He took the lady to the nursery to get her baby. He got the baby and took her and her Mother home. He told me he would be back and take care of the hospital in the morning. He did and as long as I was there and as long as he lived they didn’t hold anymore babies for ransom. There were always a lot of problems, but all in all it was a good place to go in case of an emergency. The doctors and nurses in emergency were great and the people got good care. Parkland was always clean at that time.

It seems to be the people handling the bottom line in the financial portion that have a different mindset than the doctors and nurses. Everyone had to pay hospital district taxes if you owned property. We had patients brought in from other counties, and those counties were billed for their care. The poor people were classified as charity patients and their cards I stamped with a C if they were admitted. I could go on with many things, but I know you have more things to do, to try to keep these things in check. I will close with a verse from Deuteronomy, Chapter 25, vs. 11, “For the poor shall never cease out of the land. Therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto they brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.” There is retribution for those who oppress or neglect the poor.


Shotgun Granny