Got an appendectomy done a couple of weeks back. Just got the bill.

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Engineer

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
39,230
701
126
Double hernia outpatient surgery in mid 2009 was billed at over $17,000 for less than 6 hours in an outpatient surgery center. Arrived at 6:00am, went in at 6:30 to be prepped and was home before noon.

Over $4,300 was completely denied by the insurance company (as in I am 100% responsible for that amount). I did have to pay $1,800+ portion of the bill (after deductible and % payment). I have called several times to the surgery center and they say that they don't have an update as to what is going on and I've never been billed. Just trying to avoid a bill collector from kicking my ass a few years from now.

Health care and health insurance is completely fucked up in this country (as others have stated).
 

shadow9d9

Diamond Member
Jul 6, 2004
8,132
2
0
Double hernia outpatient surgery in mid 2009 was billed at over $17,000 for less than 6 hours in an outpatient surgery center. Arrived at 6:00am, went in at 6:30 to be prepped and was home before noon.

Over $4,300 was completely denied by the insurance company (as in I am 100% responsible for that amount). I did have to pay $1,800+ portion of the bill (after deductible and % payment). I have called several times to the surgery center and they say that they don't have an update as to what is going on and I've never been billed. Just trying to avoid a bill collector from kicking my ass a few years from now.

Health care and health insurance is completely fucked up in this country (as others have stated).

Your post will be ignored in favor of repeating that the ultra rich from other countries come here and you should get a job.
 

Jmman

Diamond Member
Dec 17, 1999
5,302
0
76
Thats pretty insanely high. My wife had one done a few years back, also done via a scope, and I think the bill was around 13k. She also spent a couple of days in the hospital as well.....our share was maybe $1500 after insurance.........
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,960
8,204
126
I wonder if they highball the price so they can claim it as a loss when they settle for less. Sounds like we already have government health care :^P
 

wwswimming

Banned
Jan 21, 2006
3,695
1
0
It's bullshit that it costs that much to begin with. An appendectomy shouldn't even cost a tenth of that.

American health care used to work quite well.

my brother had an appendectomy in the late '70's. for sure he didn't get a $45K bill - even adjusted for inflation.

solution - go to another country & pay cash - go to the "clinic where the rich people go" - which would be similar to American middle class. much more affordable, comparable care. problem is, making the trip when you got appendicitis.

American health care = "you give us all your money ... and then you die". basically a form of extortion.

when you walk into a hospital with an extremely sore gut - they kind of have you over a barrel.
 

dmcowen674

No Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
54,889
47
91
www.alienbabeltech.com
it does not say she was not admited because she didn't have insurance. they didn't put her in a bedroom because they didn't have room..and the fact the hospital sucks.

Seriously, people that suck so bad at the Internets should not have access to them:

http://www.nyaprs.org/e-news-bulletins/2008/2008-07-28-6791.cfm

7-28-2008

The solitary death of Jamaican immigrant Esmin Green while awaiting treatment at a Kings County Hospital emergency waiting room, videotaped by a security camera, sparked outrage in Brooklyn and around the world.

Green, a mother of six children without health insurance, waited 24 hours in the hospital’s psychiatric emergency waiting room before collapsing and dying, on June 19, on the floor, unattended by hospital personnel until nearly an hour afterward.

Few people realize, however, that just one year ago something very similar happened to Edith Rodriguez at Martin Luther King Hospital in Los Angeles. Edith bled to death on the emergency room floor — a death that also was caught on video. She had been at the hospital at least six times in the month before her death and had spent 14 hours there the day before.


 

Mark R

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
8,513
16
81
Bahahahahaahahaaa... From England.

The NHS provides exceptional value for money - even if people moan like hell about it.

The fact is, a simple 48 hour hospital stay for appendectomy would have a total billable cost (to the govt) of about $2000.

For example, just the OP's deductible for his CT scan - is greater than the total billable cost of the CT scan + report in the UK (CT of abdomen + report would be about $200).

That said, the hospitals mark the price up massively if the govt isn't paying. So, international visitors will get a much bigger bill.
 
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HAL9000

Lifer
Oct 17, 2010
22,021
3
76
The NHS provides exceptional value for money - even if people moan like hell about it.

The fact is, a simple 48 hour hospital stay for appendectomy would have a total billable cost (to the govt) of about $2000.

For example, just the OP's deductible for his CT scan - is greater than the total billable cost of the CT scan + report in the UK (CT of abdomen + report would be about $200).

That said, the hospitals mark the price up massively if the govt isn't paying. So, international visitors will get a much bigger bill.

That was my point. :) Go NHS!
 

Cogman

Lifer
Sep 19, 2000
10,283
134
106
Seriously, people that suck so bad at the Internets should not have access to them:

http://www.nyaprs.org/e-news-bulletins/2008/2008-07-28-6791.cfm

7-28-2008

The solitary death of Jamaican immigrant Esmin Green while awaiting treatment at a Kings County Hospital emergency waiting room, videotaped by a security camera, sparked outrage in Brooklyn and around the world.

Green, a mother of six children without health insurance, waited 24 hours in the hospital’s psychiatric emergency waiting room before collapsing and dying, on June 19, on the floor, unattended by hospital personnel until nearly an hour afterward.

Few people realize, however, that just one year ago something very similar happened to Edith Rodriguez at Martin Luther King Hospital in Los Angeles. Edith bled to death on the emergency room floor — a death that also was caught on video. She had been at the hospital at least six times in the month before her death and had spent 14 hours there the day before.



HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_County_Hospital_Center

What a shining example of a STATE run hospital. Thats right, this was not a private hospital, this was a STATE ran hospital.

And you wonder why people don't want to make every hospital state run?

Also, this has NOTHING to do with the woman not having insurance (other than perhaps the fact that she couldn't afford a more expensive hospital) and everything to do with the fact that state ran hospitals are especially crappy.

Not only that, the woman had psychosis and REFUSED treatment. She had to be forced to come in for a medical examination.
...The hospital said she was suffering from agitation and psychosis and was involuntarily admitted after refusing medical review.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local...esmin_green_who_died_on_brooklyn_hospita.html

Had she had insurance, she still would have died.
 

TXHokie

Platinum Member
Nov 16, 1999
2,557
173
106
My mom needed some major dental work, got quoted $10k+ here. She took a trip for a couple weeks to Vietnam and the work cost her $1500 over there. So she got a nice vacation out of it and still cost her only $5k. It' ridiculous.
 

holden j caufield

Diamond Member
Dec 30, 1999
6,324
10
81
If it's not enough think of it this way. Your total comp package from work is salary + health + etc.

IMO you're only get paid 50k (hypothetical number) but should be paid maybe 1/3 more (don't know the amount but I assume it's good guess for an avg salary) but your employer has to pay a significant amount for health insurance. Makes sense to me but maybe my logic is off.
 

Pliablemoose

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
25,195
0
56
As someone who works for an HMO, you should know that the reimbursement is not $46k.

Did you read my post? I even guessed what the real costs were.

60 Minutes did an excellent piece on how medical billing has multiple price lists

1 for just the plain charges without insurance (the most expensive)

Dozens for the various agreed upon charges negotiated with insurance companies.

The OP likely doesn't even have the bill from the Anestheologist yet, they're notorious for not having contracted with the insurance companies and charging whatever the hell they want and you don't find out about it till weeks later...

I think what hospitals do is pretty damn immoral, any other service I can find out what the costs are or are likely to be prior to the service being rendered, a hospital's main goal is to get you to sign a form that allows them to charge whatever the hell they want to charge. The only entity that can bargain with hospitals is the insurance company when they contract with them. I've known some people to demand what the prices are and they get the run around...
 

zoiks

Lifer
Jan 13, 2000
11,787
3
81
LOL. You had a hot trauma surgeon, too? How about the nurses? The hospital that did mysurgery also serves as teaching hospital for nursing, so I had one or two hot nursing students take care of me. Although, I was pretty fucked up before and after my surgery (internal bleeding prior to surgery, and morphine drip post surgery).

Sounds like yours was a more involving one. I hope you are all well now.
Yep, one the 2 surgeons was crazy hot. She was mixed vietnamese/white and had these really awesome beautiful sparkly eyes. The nurses were just okay compared to her but they were not bad looking too.
The only dude that tended to me was the guy who wheeled me out when I left the hospital.
 

JimmiG

Platinum Member
Feb 24, 2005
2,024
112
106
Well, no matter who pays for it, health care is expensive. Even more so when everyone in the chain wants to try to make a profit. At least I never got to see the bills the few times I've been in hospital :eek:
 
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BoberFett

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
37,562
9
81
Testimonials such as the OP's make me wonder what goes on in the minds of people opposed to health care reform. The attitude that everything is peachy keen since his insurance coverage took care of most of the expense totally misses the point of reform.

The system is broken and costs are going to continue to spiral up. There is a serious need for streamlining the process and the AMA, HMO's, and the insurance companies are very happy with their profits and are reluctant to derail the gravy train.

And I bet you think what the Democrats just rammed down America's throat is reform, huh?
 

Engineer

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
39,230
701
126
And I bet you think what the Democrats just rammed down America's throat is reform, huh?

Nope. Just giving more money to the very same insurance companies that are a big part of the problem now.

Of course, the GOP has been pushing high deductible policies with HSA's for years now....essentially becoming self insured.

Both side suck ass when it comes to this issue.
 

MrsWaggy

Member
Jun 25, 2005
58
0
61
I just spent 6 days in the hospital with no insurance. Then I went back a few days later. Not really looking forward to that bill.