Today I will discuss my Income Report and the sleep study that I did recently.
Expense Report
Well well well, credit card spending jumps up again due to holiday spending. It was because I had to get all the gifts for my department’s staffs as well as other hospital team members who also helped me out over the past year with paperwork.
I gave myself more rooms on credit card budget around the holiday season so I didn’t feel a lot of stress. My staffs have worked hard all year and I wanted to show a token of my appreciation. Lat year I purchased 10 gift cards from El Pollo Loco valued at $15 each. This year, I got 16 gift cards from Starbucks valued at $15 each.
Related: WHY I SPENT THIS MUCH MONEY ($1,638) ON FOOD THIS MONTH.
Sleep Study
My fiance was a very light sleeper, and I snore. I didn’t notice how bad my snoring was until she consistently pointed it out for me. I kept on denying and push the problem aside because I feel perfectly fine most of the time:
- No headache waking up in the morning
- Fail asleep right away at bedtime
- Didn’t fall asleep while carrying out a conversation
- Didn’t feel exhausted every day at work.
I first notice my snoring issue when I was in college. My classmate and I shared a room during our Pharmacy Residency Meeting in Las Vegas, and he complained about having a hard time sleeping due to my loud snort. Since then, I started to notice involuntary jerking movements when I was first falling asleep. A couple of friends also pointed it out because I jerked a lot when falling asleep after a few beers ( I know, I am a lightweight). “A hypnagogic jerk is an involuntary muscle spasm that occurs as a person is drifting off to sleep.
The phenomenon is so named in reference to the hypnagogic state — the transitional period between wakefulness and sleep. Hypnagogic jerks, are also commonly known as hypnic jerks or sleep starts.” (Livescience.com)
My fiance also mentioned that sometimes I made absolutely no sound when I slept. It scared her because she thought I stopped breathing. There were times when I gasped for air, and she described it as like I was choking in my sleep. The thing was I barely noticed these issues.
To manage my snoring, I bought a edge pillow.
Edge Pillow $35.77 from Amazon
Polyseter. Polyurethane Foam
Ideal for sleepers suffering from acid re-flux, heartburn, allergies, snoring, poor circulation, or back and neck issues
A removable zipper cover is machine washable for your convenience, 5-year manufacturer’s Warranty, wedge pillow measures 24in x 22in x 7in
The snoring subsides a little once I manage to stay on the pad but came right back once I slide down. It was challenging to stay on the pillow.
I kept putting off seeking treatment because of my high deductible. I am under the Basic Plan from Blue Cross Blue Shield, and my deductible was $1,690 per individual. Below was the information for 2019 and 2018 was the same.
I finally decided to give sleep study a try. What was the worst thing could happen right? Either I came out with a sleep apnea diagnosis and got the appropriate treatment or no sleep apnea. Both would be good outcomes I assumed. I have selected the doctor within my insurance network to reduce the cost. There were also a lot of useful information about sleep apnea at Sleepapnea.org. Here is one of their video about the treatment of sleep apnea using positive airway pressure:
I was the type of person who wanted to know the exact cost of everything before I started doing something. Even though I had looked up the price by calling both the insurance and the sleep study office, it was difficult to get the exact estimation. It took me a total of 4 visits to get this study done and here was the break down of each visit.
First Visit
Nurse practitioner spent about 30 mins with me. We went over my health background and the steps involved in this study. They decided that it was best to do an At-Home sleep study because I had no health issues plus the cost would be lower. After this visit, I asked the front desk girl how much they would charge.
They couldn’t give me any information because the doctor didn’t submit the charge code yet. As you can see from this bill, the visit cost $350, within net-work doctor saved me $187.75 and I had to pay $162.25 out of my pocket. This out-of-pocket amount would also be applied toward my deductible as well.
Second Visit
In the second visit, I came in to pick up the equipment to monitor my breathing for a Home-Sleep-Study. They needed at least 6 hours of sleep data. The cost was $350, within-network saved me $187.75, and my out-of-pocket cost was $162.25.
Third Visit
I failed the sleep study because sleeping with full gears on was very uncomfortable. I returned to pick up the gears for the second trial. Fortunately, the office didn’t charge me. Otherwise, it would be another $162.25.
Fourth Visit
Guess what, I had no sleep apnea. The second trial at-home sleep study was successful, and there were enough data. The only recommendation was to visit a dentist to get the mouthpiece that help to push my jaw forward. This would help with my snorting. The cost for that was estimated to be around $200.
Takeaway Point
The fact that I had to pay a total of $432.09 out of my pocket and all the cost were not explicitly stated prior bothered me. What I meant was healthcare would be so much simpler if the price is listed the same way restaurant lists food items:
- Sleep Study consultation: $350
- At-Home Sleep Study: $500
- In-Facility Sleep Study: $800
- Final consultation: $250
I understood that the out-of-pocket payments would depend on every single individual’s coverage, their plans and the type of insurance. But it would be nicer if the insurance can cooperate with the doctor to determine the cost. It would give me comfort to know that I will have to pay a total of $432.09 at the end of the study instead of an outrageous amount like $2,000.
I hope you find my blog useful. If you have any horrible health insurance story and like to share, please comment below.
