OT: medical insurance opinions

My Mother in law has been in the hospital for the last 3 weeks due to serious lung problems due to smoking....she is 62. She smoked for 40+ years and she has been laying in a hospital bed on Oxygen. The insurance company wants her out of the hospital and sent home (I am sure that it is $3,000/day, or more). My wife is kinda *issed that the insurance company would say this. But being the semi-rude guy that I am I said, "Can you blame the insurance company for wanting her at home, they are footing the bill for your mothers bad habit"
In your opinions do you think she should be sent home? Instead of Throwing away $3k/day in a hospital.

send her home and get some oxygen for her there,my 2 cents worth

If the treatment is available at home and it was me, Id sure want to be home. I hate laying around the hospital, waiting on an infection, and having someone wake me up at 3 am to check my blood and then offer me a sleeping pill.

It doesnt make any difference whether she smoked or not.If she is sick enough to go to the hospital,and she needs treatment,she should get it.Then when she is ready to go home,send her home.A hospital is a good place to get pneumonia that is so bad it will kill you,or lots of other things,but its not up to a insurance company to decide whether or not she needs to be in the hospital,its up to the doctor,and they will kick her out as soon as they can.Also,whether you think so or not,that should be your idea on it,because when insurance companies decide if you are in the hospital or not,you dont stand a chance.Most people get sick of something that they blame on smoking,but that is not always smoking that causes them to go to the hospital. Like I was in the hospital when I had bypass surgery with a 57 year old woman that never smoked in her life,who was in worse shape than me,getting bypass surgery.Just so you know,its more food additives than smoking that cause you to need bypass surgury.They told me never eat mayonaise,and dont eat anything with monsodiumglutamate,which is about everything,and dont eat fried food.So if you eat mayonaise,fried food,or a bunch of other stuff thats bad for you,the insurance company should kick you out of the hospital?Ever drink Coke or coffee,that causes high blood pressure and diabetes if you drink lots of it.Yes smoking is bad for you,but there are things that are killing all of us that end us up in the hospital,and you cant make the insurance company who decides whether you can go to the hospital or not.No matter what excuse they want to use,they can find one or dream up an excuse.

Your policy probably has certain limits for different types of issues. For instance, if your wife delivered a baby with no complications, your insurance coverage would cover 2 days in the hospital, and if you wanted to stay longer, you would have to shoulder the cost. Your hospital is probably in contact with your insurance carrier verifying benefits, and the hospital is probably being told that the benefits run out at such and such time. You need to call the insurance company to negotiate (read biIch, scream and yell) and tell them that your relative is in serious condition, and if anything happens to her due to an early forced discharge from the hospital it will result in RACE HORSE HAYNES coming after them for damages.

Your policy probably has certain limits for different types of issues. For instance, if your wife delivered a baby with no complications, your insurance coverage would cover 2 days in the hospital, and if you wanted to stay longer, you would have to shoulder the cost. Your hospital is probably in contact with your insurance carrier verifying benefits, and the hospital is probably being told that the benefits run out at such and such time. You need to call the insurance company to negotiate (read biIch, scream and yell) and tell them that your relative is in serious condition, and if anything happens to her due to an early forced discharge from the hospital it will result in RACE HORSE HAYNES coming after them for damages.

Is there anybody at home to take care of her? Does her insurance include visiting nurses? Will she need oxygen at home? Will you need support for her needs? She is probably better off at home, if somebody is there to care for her, and is able to. Does your wife work? Btw, caring for a sick relative can be very stressful, on your MIL, your wife, You, and your marrige. Depending on her needs, it could be a very tough job.

Trucker40, You hit the nail right on the head. I've always said the same thing

MIL already has Oxygen at home just real hard time breathing cause she smoked for soooooo long. My SIL may be moving in with her but she has a husband and a 5 year old kid. SIL works and so does BIL, My wife doesnt want her mother moving in with us.......Out of the question---Which is good. (I dont want her mother in my house either)
To be real honest she needs to be in a nursing home, under 100% watch cause my SIL and BIL are not nurses or medics. But the cost of Nursing homes are real high and my MIL says no way no how is she going to a nursing home......She says she would rather be dead. ---- Well that may be what outcome is anyway.

MIL already has Oxygen at home just real hard time breathing cause she smoked for soooooo long. My SIL may be moving in with her but she has a husband and a 5 year old kid. SIL works and so does BIL, My wife doesnt want her mother moving in with us.......Out of the question---Which is good. (I dont want her mother in my house either)
To be real honest she needs to be in a nursing home, under 100% watch cause my SIL and BIL are not nurses or medics. But the cost of Nursing homes are real high and my MIL says no way no how is she going to a nursing home......She says she would rather be dead. ---- Well that may be what outcome is anyway.