Sticker shock!

So I check the mail today, and there is a bill from the first visit with my nutritionist...

$256!!

OMG I feel like crying... When I first started this process, I was given a financial responsibility sheet that listed the "approximate" charges for the services required to have WLS. Well, the "Nutritional Assessment" was listed as $136, with 3 additional nutritional councelling sessions totalling $204. My insurance will cover the psych stuff, but not the nutritionist.

When I had the initial assessment, I asked the counter people how much the charge was, and the girl said it was "$34 per 15 minutes." but they'd have to bill me.

I am so angry! I was in the waiting room from 2:15 to 3:15 (appointment was supposed to be 2:30) and I was out of her office before 4 pm. So I was expecting a charge of $108 for the 45 minutes I was actually IN her office. Or at least the $136 that I was quoted TWICE, once in writing, and once verbally by the office staff. ($34x4=$136).

I called the financial office at the health center and they're "looking into it" and don't know why I was quoted $34 for each 15 minutes or $136 for the initial. The girl at the billing office said their charge is $64/15 minutes and there is a service charge for self pay. What I think happened is that they billed me for the entire time I was at the center, including the time in the waiting room! In the mean time, I have another half hour consult from last week I haven't even been billed for yet, and I'm already fast going over the "approximate" charges for ONE visit let alone all 4 together. My husband and I sat and worked out the financial aspect of this and were ok with the out of pocket based on the quoted info, but this puts us WAY out of budget!

I know what's going to happen... they've covered their butts by wording it as "approximate" and I'm going to have to pay the entire bill.

Really sucks considering I don't have a full time job in the summer! They better be happy with $20 a week!