Here's $11K in Heel Hardware

Peter, might I ask what exactly happened to your heel? My girlfriend's father (retired CA firefighter that gets coverage still) recently shattered his heel. I wonder what will happen to him, if he will require surgery or not.

Best of luck to a speedy and full recovery!

 

You could have saved a bundle if you brought your own hardware for the ankle repair. They sell similar packets of nuts and bolts at the hardware aisle of Home Depot for around $4.79. They save money by offering you a self checkout. Try that next time!

BT

 

I love topics on healthcare...I agree that the system is quite messed up...

The reality is, most hospitals ARE NOT making money, and run at or below breakeven. Whether the insurance companies are making a fortune, I don't know.

Peter, what you are experiencing here is a "redistribution" of cost. Your cost was exhorbitant, because the 3-4 people before you paid way less...thank medicare/medcaid/self pay. If everyone paid an equal amount, your bill would be 80% smaller (but the $100,000 shocks me, and sounds way off. A typical CABG is done for less).

Its a f'd up system. It is the only system where whether or not you pay, you get treated. Where is the incentive to carry insurance again? It is the only system where the government can dictate what you charge. Etc, etc.

I assure you that healthcare in Canada cost pretty much what it does here, the cost is just distibuted differently.

We just got a doc here who used to be in Canada. He liked it there, but moved for family reasons. He states that the government gave him a "quota" or budget he may expend taking care of patients. When he was done, thats it - no more visits. Typically, he was done in July for the year, and took the rest of the year off. He happens to be an ENT doc, and the government allowed him to "earn" $200,000 a year. About 1/2 to 1/3 what he earns now...

Healthcare is screwed up in just about every country. Limited resources, vs growing unlimited need. Tick tock, BOOM...

 

I still have metal plates and screws in my left arm from about 8 years ago. I think that cost my insurance about 20k in a small town - completely rural area. I could imagine a specialist in a larger city could increase that bill somewhat. I forgot to mention that I never got them removed either, so that could easily double the bill I assume.

 

Healthcare (US) reimbursement 101 (Grossly simplified):

A bill to the patient will not be the same as a bill to any insurance company. Patients will generally receive a bill at 100% of charges, and charges have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the actual COST of delivering (inpatient) care. The $135K in bills posted earlier may have been paid by ins a total of less than half that. In some instances (most) they are more, in some they're less. Full charges are billed to patients because private individuals don't receive "volume discounts" that are in effect for companies that contract with the hospitals (Blue Cross, etc.). Margins are indeed generally very low for hospitals - those more in the black are offering unique services to patient populations with better contract rates. On the physician service side it works in similar fashion, right, Bo?

The real horror is about to happen effective 10/1/08, when new Medicare legislation goes into effect. Medicare will essentially be denying payment for many complications that in the past were covered. It only amounts to a few percent, but at the end of the day, that's the difference between black and red on financial statements. All this at the same time of incresing regulation and reporting requirements. Hope all you hospital folks out there have your "Core Measures" in a good place.

Kevin

BTW - I visited with a group of Danish Healthcare Administrators a few years back. You know what happens when their gov't funding runs out before the end of their fiscal year? They close the front doors to the hospital until their new FY budget goes into effect.

 

Yeah, just shocked.

I paid $600 for an MRI and I got right in, you can pay to play {or live in some cases} but yes wait times are an issue with people who seemingly have major problems.

 

Wow. That sounds very similar to what he went through. He was on a ladder in an empty pool (painting a wall of a grotto above part of the pool), and he feel directly on his heel. I haven't seen the x-rays, but I most likely will see his condition next week. I will show this to my g/f to show what is up. Again, best of luck on a recovery. That is more hardware than my heel/foot can fit under the skin!

 

I just had a *mild heart attack* - as the spelling is impeccable.

*How much is this gonna cost me?

 

LOL, he said "foot" the bill... Ha ha ha ha ha...


When I was 13, I got hit by a car... I spent four days in the hospital and they charged for every thing - including pills and cotton balls and whatever else... I remember my father telling me, "If they come in with Tylenol, and you feel okay, then don't take it; wait it out..."

 

Yeah I saw that the next day, not intentional.

My father would have said "Get up, you have to start taking the dents out of that car before the guy calls his insurance company and after that you're going swimming in a river, with my foot on your back."