[yamtaddle]

> It does not have to be a gigantic mess. Being back in the US, I just went to the ER and it was shocking being discharged and not being able to know what I owe.

One of the outright-grossest things about US ERs is they have dedicated vulture-like staff wandering around to extract billing information from the sick, injured, and distraught, but those folks can't even tell you anything about what it's going to cost (and neither can anyone else).

[DavidPeiffer]

My personal favorite is when they come around with their computer cart and have you sign on a 2x6 inch signature pad without showing you the documents. Growing up as the son of an attorney, I read documents before signing and get annoyed that this ever became the status quo.

It seems to be about 3 signatures. But if you don't insist they print the documents off and give you a copy, you could be signing away tons of rights you wish you had down the line.

--

Tangentially related to billing, the workflow to check in with one of my clinics requires me to give them permission for more aggressive collection practices than are legally required. I can revoke that permission anytime, but there's no option to turn it down while checking in. So every time I check the box, then immediately talk with the receptionist to add a flag on my account. She takes a screenshot and prints it off for me. From doing that interaction a couple times, I think I'm one of very few people who do it.