What is Observation Status?

Welcome to Sick Enough, the podcast about hospital doctors, hospital issues, and the health conditions we commonly encounter.

You would think that anyone being admitted to a hospital would be considered an inpatient, but that would be incorrect. Medicare and insurance companies have created a special status called "Observation Status" that has some big implications for anyone seeking hospital care. In this episode we discuss why observation status matters; the impact it may have on your medical bills; and our honest feelings about this distinction. We also review some of the questions you as a consumer should ask when enrolling in a healthcare insurance plan, or when being admitted to the hospital.

We generally keep these clean, but we drop a few expletives in this one.
Email us with questions or comments at SickEnoughPodcast@gmail.com