New Jersey Hospital Charges Man Nearly $9K to Bandage Cut Finger

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Mai72

Lifer
Sep 12, 2012
11,578
1,741
126
Hospitals are crazy. My father in law had kidney stones a few months ago. He hadn't ever had them before and he had no idea what was wrong except it was the most horrible pain ever. He went to the ER, they gave him a shot of morphine and an X-ray, total of about 45 minutes there. The bill after insurance discounts was $5K (not sure how much of that insurance paid).

I just want to know where all the money is going. I know doctors make a lot and hospitals are turning themselves into country clubs, but there has to be a shit load left after that.

What happens if you're poor and don't have the means to pay? By law the hospital still has to help you. You don't pay a dime. The middle class pays thru taxes. The rich are wealthy and have the best insurance so they aren't affected. The poor aren't affected because they don't have a dime to their name. The middle class takes the brunt.
 

Ronstang

Lifer
Jul 8, 2000
12,493
18
81
If he required no real "healthcare" what kind of an idiot is he that he could not put a bandage on his own finger. Going to the ER was STUPID in the first place but the bill is stupid on a whole different level.
 

Moonbeam

Elite Member
Nov 24, 1999
72,327
6,040
126
The folk who run such scams should be publically flogged and charged 100,00 a piece for wear and tear on the whips.
 

master_shake_

Diamond Member
May 22, 2012
6,430
291
121
hmmm

makes me happy i have universal health care...

its not the best and i do pay for it but it works and it certainly does not cost me 9g's for a bandaid.
 

Slew Foot

Lifer
Sep 22, 2005
12,381
96
86
New Jersey law requires insurers to pay for ER treatments, whether or not there is an in-network price deal.

When you know youre going to get paid anyway, theres no incentive to cut a deal. Dude should have gone to an urgent care center
 

Veliko

Diamond Member
Feb 16, 2011
3,597
127
106
Right, I mean what would I know about my own body and the nature of the injuries I received? Clearly, an unknown forum user with comprehension issues is a far better judge of what happened, and of the appropriate response.

You wouldn't know anything unless you're a doctor with the required knowledge and equipment necessary to diagnose these things.

Oh and I love how you are seizing on the term 'crushed' too. Classic cherry picking by someone who wants to rant their position no matter what. Like, say being told only one finger was broken. I'd say a bloody stupid decision would have been to forgo consultation and treatment all together. I've heard of guys doing that, and with far more serious injuries than what I had. Definitely stupid, and I'm sure more than few of them regretted it at some point. Regardless, you're acting like I took the "oh I'll walk it off" attitude, yet I specifically said I went to URGENT CARE, and actually got treatment quicker than times in the past when I did have to the go to the ER.

Please, quit being an idiot.

I'm not cherry-picking anything, merely responding to what you yourself have said. And depending on your interpretation of 'crushed' it could actually be a far more serious injury than merely broken.

And unless you're seriously going to claim that ER is inherently slower than urgent care you're just using hindsight to justify your decision.


Cherry-picking details to try and invalidate something you don't approve of, same shit different troll. Challenge their bullshit and they resort to false attribution, groundless assumptions, and some character assassination for good measure.
While I'd love to sit here and attempt to get you to explain yourself and your myopic, judgmental attitude, I'm not sure I have the time or the interest.

So here, a quick summary and final request:

1. Got hurt, but avoided serious damage.
2. Decided the severity and pain didn't warrant a trip to the ER, but that a DR should still look at it.
3. Left premises within 10min, arrived at hospital in 15min, medical attention began within 20min (far quicker than past visits to ERs).
4. Received the same care I would have at the ER, saved roughly $8,000, was discharged and back home within two hours.
5. Injuries healed normally with no loss of sensitivity, flexibility or grip strength.
6. Person who doesn't know me and who wasn't there yaps about what a stupid choice it was, failing to acknowledge elements of the info that don't support his desire to stereotype and insult.

Pretty sure I've never proclaimed myself to be smarter than anyone else, hell I admit I'm on the thick side. Accordingly, you are definitely going to have to give me a hand here and point out the glaring, 'bloody stupid' parts involved in the info you've been given. Somehow I had this bizarre notion that opting for the same treatment, in less time, and for substantially less money, was a smart call instead of a bad one. Silly me!

But if all you're going to do is regurgitate more assumptions and falsehoods, cherry pick what to respond to while playing e-psychologist, save yourself the time and effort and just skip it. I've got things to do dude, and listening to you act like a sanctimonious prick with clairvoyance ain't one of them. You can disagree with the assessment and choice I made if you want, that's fine, but what I did was demonstrably smarter/better than the alternative, for reasons I've already stated several times. If those are somehow negatives in your book, then you need to take your own advice and seek swift medical consultation. You may have sustained a head injury at some point and definitely should get that looked at.

Good luck! :)

"I don't have the time to respond and I have things to do... so here's a lengthy post that proves how busy I am."
 

Veliko

Diamond Member
Feb 16, 2011
3,597
127
106
If he required no real "healthcare" what kind of an idiot is he that he could not put a bandage on his own finger. Going to the ER was STUPID in the first place but the bill is stupid on a whole different level.

If he had known that it didn't actually require any real healthcare he wouldn't have gone there.
 

OverVolt

Lifer
Aug 31, 2002
14,278
89
91
So you crushed six of your fingers yet you decided not to go to ER... that's not a smart decision, it's a bloody stupid one.



Classic post-event rationalisation from someone who thinks he's smarter than everyone else.

He was seen by a doctor, if medically necessary he would have told him to go to the hospital.
 

kage69

Lifer
Jul 17, 2003
26,968
35,583
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He was seen by a doctor, if medically necessary he would have told him to go to the hospital.


I did go to the hospital, that's where Urgent Care is located. But don't bother, you'll only confuse him more. Sometimes, like in this case, you just have to let the idiot vent the hot air that's got them all puffed up. It's tempting to smack him around some more, maybe let him know about how I'm not exactly a stranger to medical care having received search and rescue/ first aid training myself, and have 2 physicians and 3 RNs in my family.

Nah, easier and more satisfying to watch him keep digging, we'll see how long it takes him to realize he's been thoroughly refuted and still making himself look like an ass.

Or will he double down? Stay tuned.
 
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Veliko

Diamond Member
Feb 16, 2011
3,597
127
106
He was seen by a doctor, if medically necessary he would have told him to go to the hospital.

Which doesn't change the fact that he had crushed six of his fingers and decided not to go to ER; he did not have the necessary medical knowledge himself to judge whether it was medically necessary to go to the hospital.
 

Veliko

Diamond Member
Feb 16, 2011
3,597
127
106
I did go to the hospital, that's where Urgent Care is located. But don't bother, you'll only confuse him more. Sometimes, like in this case, you just have to let the idiot vent the hot air that's got them all puffed up. It's tempting to smack him around some more, maybe let him know about how I'm not exactly a stranger to medical care having received search and rescue/ first aid training myself, and have 2 physicians and 3 RNs in my family.

Nah, easier and more satisfying to watch him keep digging, we'll see how long it takes him to realize he's been thoroughly refuted and still making himself look like an ass.

"I did the first aid badge in the Scouts, I know loads about medical stuff."
 

MrPickins

Diamond Member
May 24, 2003
9,011
558
126
Which doesn't change the fact that he had crushed six of his fingers and decided not to go to ER; he did not have the necessary medical knowledge himself to judge whether it was medically necessary to go to the hospital.

But the doctor who treated him did.

And, the urgent care was at a hospital. Give it up dude, you're wrong.
 

HumblePie

Lifer
Oct 30, 2000
14,667
440
126
Cheaper to buy a plane ticket somewhere and get treated in an emergency room anywhere else in the world and fly back than the stupid shit many hospitals here try to charge for. $9k is seriously out of line.
 

Subyman

Moderator <br> VC&G Forum
Mar 18, 2005
7,876
32
86
I've been hit with stupid fees and rates as well. I started asking for the prices upfront, which almost seems taboo in the US for medical care. They are happy to let me know. Obviously you can't do this in an emergency, but you can debate the rates after the service. I've been able to cut nearly 50% off a bill by simply talking to the rep.
 

MrPickins

Diamond Member
May 24, 2003
9,011
558
126
Erm, yes, that's my entire point.

No, you just need to follow conversations better. This was the post I replied to:

You seem to have reading comprehension issues. He went to the hospital as that was where the urgent care clinic was.

He could have been wheeled over to the ER if the doctor who saw him (almost immediately) decided it was warranted.

I'm really not sure what you're arguing about. He did the right thing and the outcome was positive.
 

Veliko

Diamond Member
Feb 16, 2011
3,597
127
106
No, it is you who has the reading comprehension issues. As I pointed out, I was responding to OverVolt's post when I mentioned the hospital.
 

-slash-

Senior member
Jan 21, 2014
361
1
41
Well no, because that's the key difference between medical care and getting your car fixed.

It's only a key difference if you make it that. Business is business. You're putting medical care compensation on a pedestal it needs not be on. If you want to go to the ER for a bandaid, go for it. You must be prepared to pay for it. If your insurance is inadequate that is your own fault, boo hoo. Who do you want to pick up the bill? The hospital, great lets drive them out of business. The government, they'll just make us pay for it. The tax payers, see government. It's called self responsibility. If you are so irresponsible that you went to the ER with inadequate medical insurance, there is a stupid tax you need to pay.

Whos fault but his own is it he went to the ER? Nobodies, pay the bill and shut the fuck up.
 

-slash-

Senior member
Jan 21, 2014
361
1
41
Which doesn't change the fact that he had crushed six of his fingers and decided not to go to ER; he did not have the necessary medical knowledge himself to judge whether it was medically necessary to go to the hospital.

Again, self responsibility. Dude was obviously intelligent enough to know that his life was not in danger due to massive blood loss. He went to urgent care and let them determine what needed to be done. They treated and released him. This is how the world works. Think. Use common sense. It's not as difficult as you are making it.
 
Feb 4, 2009
34,502
15,731
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Again, self responsibility. Dude was obviously intelligent enough to know that his life was not in danger due to massive blood loss. He went to urgent care and let them determine what needed to be done. They treated and released him. This is how the world works. Think. Use common sense. It's not as difficult as you are making it.

So is it self responsibility when a large snow storm or natural disaster occurs and the guy at the convince store is charging $50 for baby food, $12 per gallon for gas, $25 for milk or water or is that guy a price gouging asshole?
 

-slash-

Senior member
Jan 21, 2014
361
1
41
So is it self responsibility when a large snow storm or natural disaster occurs and the guy at the convince store is charging $50 for baby food, $12 per gallon for gas, $25 for milk or water or is that guy a price gouging asshole?

Uhh be prepared?

Is the dude being a price gouging asshole? Yes. Was the hospital overcharging? Yes. Never disputed that. Using common sense, you should have non-perishable provisions on hand for extenuating circumstances. You dont need a prepping shelter, but having a bit of powdered baby formula set aside is a common sense idea. They do make gas cans for gas storage, you know that right? Bottled water comes in convenient bottles for storage and does not perish. Milk comes in powdered form. That wasnt that hard was it? Also think about necessities. Stock non-perishable of what you NEED. Same with insurance, you need to be aware of what you have and what it covers. Anyone else need their hand held?
 

BoberFett

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
37,563
9
81
So is it self responsibility when a large snow storm or natural disaster occurs and the guy at the convince store is charging $50 for baby food, $12 per gallon for gas, $25 for milk or water or is that guy a price gouging asshole?

Are supplies not worth more money when supply chains are interrupted? That's not price gouging, if you have someplace else to get those things for less money, then by all means buy them there instead.

Oh, they're not available elsewhere? Then it's not price gouging.