Good god, those are some scary numbers you guys are throwing out. Being young and, thank god, healthy I havent been to the hospital in ten years. I think Ill stay home and close the curtains.
Hospital bill - what's wrong with healthcare
- Thread starter bobback
- Start date
$2100 to have my wisdom teeth pulled, in at 10 out at 12. the next time I pay a thousand dollars an hour for something I'd at least like to remember it.
D
dmkhnr
Well-known member
It's all greed! If everybody in the U.S. were to drop their insurance and pay as you go it would all equalize.
Example, my wife had a surgery this last summer for her woman parts. She was in and out of the hospital in 3 hrs.
3 nights later she is bleeding deep red blood out of the orthoscopic hole. I figure that it is the body cleaning itself, but take her down to the emergency room as she was feeling a little naucious and pain at the puncture.
They held her there for 7 hrs, doing test after test, including an mri. They wanted to be thourough. It ended up being nothing but a pocket of blood that was draining. Oh, and a $4k medical bill, billed to her insurance.
The docs, knew what the problem was, they knew she had insurance, and they ran the bill up on purpose. The whole time she was there, she was treated like she was at a resort. The doc would come visit every half hr, ask about pain and administer any pain killer that she asked for (just stick it on the bill).
Being a doc today is nothing more than having a license to deal drugs, in fact prescription drug abuse is now at a higher rate than meth use. Our society today expects something for their $160 office visit. The docs know this, and are very willing to write out a prescription for just about anything you ask for. They know that if they don't do it, the patient will just go to somebody else and that sweet little insurance card goes with them.
Know we have 2014 to look forward to with Obamas health plan. (Ohh that will work, RIGHT!!). We'll be taxed on it now, feeding the beast, and then be devoured after it's too big to stop.
Example, my wife had a surgery this last summer for her woman parts. She was in and out of the hospital in 3 hrs.
3 nights later she is bleeding deep red blood out of the orthoscopic hole. I figure that it is the body cleaning itself, but take her down to the emergency room as she was feeling a little naucious and pain at the puncture.
They held her there for 7 hrs, doing test after test, including an mri. They wanted to be thourough. It ended up being nothing but a pocket of blood that was draining. Oh, and a $4k medical bill, billed to her insurance.
The docs, knew what the problem was, they knew she had insurance, and they ran the bill up on purpose. The whole time she was there, she was treated like she was at a resort. The doc would come visit every half hr, ask about pain and administer any pain killer that she asked for (just stick it on the bill).
Being a doc today is nothing more than having a license to deal drugs, in fact prescription drug abuse is now at a higher rate than meth use. Our society today expects something for their $160 office visit. The docs know this, and are very willing to write out a prescription for just about anything you ask for. They know that if they don't do it, the patient will just go to somebody else and that sweet little insurance card goes with them.
Know we have 2014 to look forward to with Obamas health plan. (Ohh that will work, RIGHT!!). We'll be taxed on it now, feeding the beast, and then be devoured after it's too big to stop.
M
mtnjunkie
Well-known member
It's not like that here with the prescriptions. To be a young blond woman going to a doctor in this valley, I better have a leg falling off to get pain killers. It's ridiculous. They look at me, hear the problems and say "take a few advil". This is when I was having severe gall bladder attacks, a damaged kidney, a few severe back injuries, a kidney infection (fun), another infection that was a whole lot worse.
I have had so many bad injuries, and resulting problems from them. There isn't a day that something doesn't hurt. And going to a doctor for any of the above, it was like pulling teeth to get meds so I could work. I'd tell them I'm having gall bladder attacks or severe back pain while working colts and I had to work to pay the doctor bills. They say take time off, take advil. It's just such a pain to see a doctor in this valley, they think everyone is rich and is looking for vicodin for a broken finger nail. I hate doctors, although my gall bladder surgeon was pretty cool. More like a real doctor that actually cared. Very rare around here.
I have had so many bad injuries, and resulting problems from them. There isn't a day that something doesn't hurt. And going to a doctor for any of the above, it was like pulling teeth to get meds so I could work. I'd tell them I'm having gall bladder attacks or severe back pain while working colts and I had to work to pay the doctor bills. They say take time off, take advil. It's just such a pain to see a doctor in this valley, they think everyone is rich and is looking for vicodin for a broken finger nail. I hate doctors, although my gall bladder surgeon was pretty cool. More like a real doctor that actually cared. Very rare around here.
Glad to be an Albertan, No health care costs and no charges for medical care.
S
Superjag
Well-known member
There is so many things wrong with this post that I don't even know where to begin. My father was a hospital director, my wife is a surgeon, and I spent most of my law school years working in a hospital finance department dealing with patient/insurance reimbursement issues, so I think I have at least a little bit of experience when it comes to this stuff. There are plenty of things wrong with our existing (and the proposed) health care system, but almost none of it has anything to do with what you just said. I'm not saying that there isn't any of what you describe occurring, but I would allege that those relatively isolated incidents have little to no overall impact on the current problem.
Hilarious. I think I'd rather have hospital bills.
I agree, todays medical issues are a joke! The docs just want there big paychecks, and could care less!
Josh Zieske
Josh Zieske
S
Superjag
Well-known member
First of all it's "could not care less", and if you believe that about most doctors, you have clearly never worked in the medical field.
Glad to be an Albertan, No health care costs and no charges for medical care.
If you think this, then I got a beach front land in Nevada for you.
Don't forget that doctors need to inflate their costs to protect themselves from the "Lawsuit Crazy" society that is the good ole US of A!
If you have a sliver and the doctor doesn't see it you need 100 grand for pain and suffering!
If you have a sliver and the doctor doesn't see it you need 100 grand for pain and suffering!
S
Superjag
Well-known member
Sadly, there is a kernel of truth in that. Medical malpractice insurance premiums for specialty practices (neurosurgery, OB/GYN, etc.) in some states can be $200,00 - $300,000 per year, often paid by the physician themselves. These rates are based on a sh*tload of factors, including statistical risk analysis and historical jury payouts. Now, truth be told, these malpractice premium amounts really only represent a small fraction of overall health care expenditures, but expenses like these certainly don't help to keep costs down for the end user.
Important point to make...
I'm sorry, that figure is incorrect. I hit the wrong #. It was over $44,000, and it was lapriscopic. I neglected to mention a 2 hr return to the er with severe pain the night I was released, which included another mri ($5500 per scan (for 2 min)). But they stuck my with a bunch of extra charges for "emergency situation" even though they waited like 15 hrs before doing the surgery (from the time I came in).
I work in healthcare.
I admit I get a great paycheck for my age and how many years I have been working.
Its not so much the hospitals that are wanting to charge a ton of money. If you look into the costs of small things you will crap your pants. It amazing what can make the bill go way up fast without you even thinking.
It costs around 1000 dollars a day for someone to stay in hosptial in Canada from what I have heard.
But its nice living in Canada and not having to pay much of anything.
I admit I get a great paycheck for my age and how many years I have been working.
Its not so much the hospitals that are wanting to charge a ton of money. If you look into the costs of small things you will crap your pants. It amazing what can make the bill go way up fast without you even thinking.
It costs around 1000 dollars a day for someone to stay in hosptial in Canada from what I have heard.
But its nice living in Canada and not having to pay much of anything.
2 years ago, I had to have a cervical disc fusion in my neck. I went to another hospital 110 miles away to get a better surgeon {at the advice of my family doctor} I had everything pre-approved befor surgery because this surgeon was out of our insurance network. The day after I got out, my insurance company calls me and says I could have had the surgery by the network surgeon at home, so they decided they would only pay the hospital, and recovery costs, but would not pay for the surgeon. That was just under $24,000 they would not pay. I did everything I could to fight with them including Insurance comissioner, but got no where. After talking to the surgeon's billing office, they knocked the bill down to what an in network insurance company would pay and I made payments on the balance. They never even called me once asking about when it would be paid in full. It took several mounths to get it covered. There are a few good hospitals out there, but I don't have too much good to say about the insurance companies. I know our company sucks.
I know not much but if you add up PST and GST = ouch
I guess that depends on how badly and how fast you want to make it to the ER
I know without a doubt if I'm hurt in the sticks, I'm calling a chopper....but my insurance is good like that
LMAO!!!! Well, as long as life is good for your wife I guess it doesn't matter.
Dang, only in the good ole America..
LAME
shutup you.....I was thinking things are OK for me too.
But he didn't get it. I see where he is coming from. This January I got an ambulance bill for the 2 block drive to the ER when my infant stopped breathing. Took the bastards 20 minutes to find my house ( which is approx. 2 blocks north of the ambulance barn on the same street) them billed for emergent, but stopped at stop signs and red lights. Quick call to the county comissioner and the bill disappeared.
I won't even get into what the charges were from the other medical emergencies our family endured last year (we went thru hell) but I can say that we were lucky that her insurance is awesome and they paid 95% of everything but still our share would make your stomach hurl.
