Uninsured Woman Received a Bill for Over $34,000 for Coronavirus Testing and Treatment

JEDIYoda

Lifer
Jul 13, 2005
33,981
3,318
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So, who would have guessed......sure the testing for the virus is free, but the treatment appesarsd to not be free...lolol Somebody has to make a profit! After all nothing in life is really free!!



After coming down with a fever and a nasty cough, Askini made two more trips to the emergency room and was eventually given a test, which confirmed she had been infected with the virus.

Days after receiving the test results, Askini got a bill from the hospital for $34,927.43.

“I was pretty sticker-shocked,” she told TIME. “I personally don’t know anybody who has that kind of money.”

Although legislation has been passed that will make coronavirus tests available for no cost, the relief bill does not currently address the total cost of treatment, which could include out-of-network care and testing unrelated to coronavirus, that individuals may incur.

Earlier this month, the Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that among people who have insurance through their employers, the average cost for treatment could range from $9,763-$20,292 and that out-of-pocket costs could be around $1,300.

Treatment is still a gigantic problem,” Cheryl Fish-Parcham, a director of consumer advocacy group Families USA, recently told The New York Times.

As concerns over testing has grown, several private insurance companies have also said that they will waive co-pays for testing and those on Medicare or Medicaid will also get tested for free. During the congressional hearings on Thursday, House Democrats pushed CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield to promise free testing to all Americans, which he agreed to after pressure from California Rep. Katie Porter.





Uninsured Woman Received a Bill for Over $34,000 for Coronavirus Testing and Treatment


After being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, one uninsured woman received a staggering bill for over $34,000.

In late February, Danni Askini, contacted an oncologist who had been treating her lymphoma, to report that she was experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath and a migraine, TIME reported.
Although all symptoms of the widespread virus, formally called COVID-19, her doctor thought she was likely having a bad reaction to some medication and sent her to a Boston emergency room, which in turn told her she likely had pneumonia, according to the outlet.
After coming down with a fever and a nasty cough, Askini made two more trips to the emergency room and was eventually given a test, which confirmed she had been infected with the virus.
Days after receiving the test results, Askini got a bill from the hospital for $34,927.43.
“I was pretty sticker-shocked,” she told TIME. “I personally don’t know anybody who has that kind of money.”
RELATED: U.S. Cases of Coronavirus Top 12,000: Here’s an Updated Map of the Spread
Although legislation has been passed that will make coronavirus tests available for no cost, the relief bill does not currently address the total cost of treatment, which could include out-of-network care and testing unrelated to coronavirus, that individuals may incur.
Earlier this month, the Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that among people who have insurance through their employers, the average cost for treatment could range from $9,763-$20,292 and that out-of-pocket costs could be around $1,300.
Treatment is still a gigantic problem,” Cheryl Fish-Parcham, a director of consumer advocacy group Families USA, recently told The New York Times.
As concerns over testing has grown, several private insurance companies have also said that they will waive co-pays for testing and those on Medicare or Medicaid will also get tested for free. During the congressional hearings on Thursday, House Democrats pushed CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield to promise free testing to all Americans, which he agreed to after pressure from California Rep. Katie Porter.

However, given the country’s shortage of testing kits, getting tested for the coronavirus is often not a simple task for Americans.
Though President Donald Trump has previously said that any American who “needs a test gets a test,” that has not yet been the case. As of Thursday, the CDC has tested around 4,500 people, and outside laboratories have tested an additional 40,000.
The lack of available testing kits spurs from a manufacturing problem with the first batch of kits, made by the CDC. Correcting that error delayed production, and the CDC has only recently started sending the new versions out to states.
Additionally, the CDC restricted private health companies and academic institutions from creating their own kits without approval from the Food and Drug Administration until Feb. 29.

On Thursday, a popular home testing company Everlywell announced that they will have an at-home coronavirus test available for consumers by Monday, March 23 — making them the first private company to distribute testing directly to consumers.
Once consumers are approved for the test, they can purchase it for $135 on Everlywell’s website. The company said that this will be “no profit to Everlywell, and will be covered by participating HSA and FSA providers.”
“Everlywell has reached out to government officials and public health departments to see if the test can be made available for free,” they said in a statement.
The Food and Drug Administration is also testing a drug previously used to treat malaria as a possible treatment for the widespread respiratory illness.

As of Friday morning, there are at least 12,392 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States and 195 people have died of COVID-19-related illnesses.
 

nickqt

Diamond Member
Jan 15, 2015
7,544
7,688
136
3 uninsured ED visits and "treatment" (I'm assuming labs, XRs, perhaps CTA, breathing treatments, antibiotics), and oh yeah, $30k sounds easy.

With a history of cancer, they may have done a lot more, called in oncology consults, etc.

Healthcare isn't a right. The only right you have is to die in a gutter...assuming you aren't trespassing or violating panhandling laws.

#Keep America Great
 

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
50,879
4,265
126
Should not happen. Hospitals should submit to the government for reimbursement for this.
 
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Nov 20, 2009
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3 uninsured ED visits and "treatment" (I'm assuming labs, XRs, perhaps CTA, breathing treatments, antibiotics), and oh yeah, $30k sounds easy.

With a history of cancer, they may have done a lot more, called in oncology consults, etc.

Healthcare isn't a right. The only right you have is to die in a gutter...assuming you aren't trespassing or violating panhandling laws.

#Keep America Great
I doubt you have that right, either. Your dead body might be considered littering and loitering.
 

Herr Kutz

Platinum Member
Jun 14, 2009
2,545
242
106
3 uninsured ED visits and "treatment" (I'm assuming labs, XRs, perhaps CTA, breathing treatments, antibiotics), and oh yeah, $30k sounds easy.

With a history of cancer, they may have done a lot more, called in oncology consults, etc.

Healthcare isn't a right. The only right you have is to die in a gutter...assuming you aren't trespassing or violating panhandling laws.

#Keep America Great

No one has the "right" to someone else's labor.
 

Jaskalas

Lifer
Jun 23, 2004
33,446
7,508
136
No one has the "right" to someone else's labor.

Pretty sure the fat cat CEOs aren't giving any "labor" to keep people alive. No, that'd be the medical workers. Who would still get paid by their employer regardless of who pays the bill for the victims of this virus. So why did you offer a non sequiturr? Don't understand the subject?

BTW, do you know what insurance is? Another word for it is Medicare For All. Because we'd all pay into it, and all receive the benefit of greatly reduced costs for healthcare. Some moron might scream communism, but the truth is it'd just be good business sense to create a larger and more effective insurance pool through government largess.

A smarter, better Capitalism is one with a fully functional safety net. Bankrupted and ruined people make rather poor consumers. Dead ones are even worse. Gotta care for our people to care for our economy.
 

Lanyap

Elite Member
Dec 23, 2000
8,106
2,157
136
I'm for M4A and believe our current medical and pharmaceutical system is broken in the US and has been for a long time. We pay $2,533.07 per month for good BCBS health insurance coverage here in Florida for myself (63), my wife (59) and our daughter (21). That's $30,396.84 per year and we are retired with no corporate retirement health insurance to fall back on. That cost does not include copays and deductibles.

That said, the example posted is extreme with extenuating circumstances and not a valid indicator of a normal person walking in to ER to get checked for COVID-19. If the MSM is going to use an example at least use a legitimate one. This comes across as disingenuous.

Here is something to be upset about.
 

JEDIYoda

Lifer
Jul 13, 2005
33,981
3,318
126
I'm for M4A and believe our current medical and pharmaceutical system is broken in the US and has been for a long time. We pay $2,533.07 per month for good BCBS health insurance coverage here in Florida for myself (63), my wife (59) and our daughter (21). That's $30,396.84 per year and we are retired with no corporate retirement health insurance to fall back on. That cost does not include copays and deductibles.

That said, the example posted is extreme with extenuating circumstances and not a valid indicator of a normal person walking in to ER to get checked for COVID-19. If the MSM is going to use an example at least use a legitimate one. This comes across as disingenuous.

Here is something to be upset about.
This issue was not whether the example posted was a valid indicator!1 The issue is that it hap[penned regardless!!
I find nothing disingenuois about the article......
 

cytg111

Lifer
Mar 17, 2008
23,220
12,860
136
So, who would have guessed......sure the testing for the virus is free, but the treatment appesarsd to not be free...lolol Somebody has to make a profit! After all nothing in life is really free!!



After coming down with a fever and a nasty cough, Askini made two more trips to the emergency room and was eventually given a test, which confirmed she had been infected with the virus.

Days after receiving the test results, Askini got a bill from the hospital for $34,927.43.

“I was pretty sticker-shocked,” she told TIME. “I personally don’t know anybody who has that kind of money.”

Although legislation has been passed that will make coronavirus tests available for no cost, the relief bill does not currently address the total cost of treatment, which could include out-of-network care and testing unrelated to coronavirus, that individuals may incur.

Earlier this month, the Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that among people who have insurance through their employers, the average cost for treatment could range from $9,763-$20,292 and that out-of-pocket costs could be around $1,300.

Treatment is still a gigantic problem,” Cheryl Fish-Parcham, a director of consumer advocacy group Families USA, recently told The New York Times.

As concerns over testing has grown, several private insurance companies have also said that they will waive co-pays for testing and those on Medicare or Medicaid will also get tested for free. During the congressional hearings on Thursday, House Democrats pushed CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield to promise free testing to all Americans, which he agreed to after pressure from California Rep. Katie Porter.





Uninsured Woman Received a Bill for Over $34,000 for Coronavirus Testing and Treatment


After being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, one uninsured woman received a staggering bill for over $34,000.

In late February, Danni Askini, contacted an oncologist who had been treating her lymphoma, to report that she was experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath and a migraine, TIME reported.
Although all symptoms of the widespread virus, formally called COVID-19, her doctor thought she was likely having a bad reaction to some medication and sent her to a Boston emergency room, which in turn told her she likely had pneumonia, according to the outlet.
After coming down with a fever and a nasty cough, Askini made two more trips to the emergency room and was eventually given a test, which confirmed she had been infected with the virus.
Days after receiving the test results, Askini got a bill from the hospital for $34,927.43.
“I was pretty sticker-shocked,” she told TIME. “I personally don’t know anybody who has that kind of money.”
RELATED: U.S. Cases of Coronavirus Top 12,000: Here’s an Updated Map of the Spread
Although legislation has been passed that will make coronavirus tests available for no cost, the relief bill does not currently address the total cost of treatment, which could include out-of-network care and testing unrelated to coronavirus, that individuals may incur.
Earlier this month, the Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that among people who have insurance through their employers, the average cost for treatment could range from $9,763-$20,292 and that out-of-pocket costs could be around $1,300.
Treatment is still a gigantic problem,” Cheryl Fish-Parcham, a director of consumer advocacy group Families USA, recently told The New York Times.
As concerns over testing has grown, several private insurance companies have also said that they will waive co-pays for testing and those on Medicare or Medicaid will also get tested for free. During the congressional hearings on Thursday, House Democrats pushed CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield to promise free testing to all Americans, which he agreed to after pressure from California Rep. Katie Porter.

However, given the country’s shortage of testing kits, getting tested for the coronavirus is often not a simple task for Americans.
Though President Donald Trump has previously said that any American who “needs a test gets a test,” that has not yet been the case. As of Thursday, the CDC has tested around 4,500 people, and outside laboratories have tested an additional 40,000.
The lack of available testing kits spurs from a manufacturing problem with the first batch of kits, made by the CDC. Correcting that error delayed production, and the CDC has only recently started sending the new versions out to states.
Additionally, the CDC restricted private health companies and academic institutions from creating their own kits without approval from the Food and Drug Administration until Feb. 29.

On Thursday, a popular home testing company Everlywell announced that they will have an at-home coronavirus test available for consumers by Monday, March 23 — making them the first private company to distribute testing directly to consumers.
Once consumers are approved for the test, they can purchase it for $135 on Everlywell’s website. The company said that this will be “no profit to Everlywell, and will be covered by participating HSA and FSA providers.”
“Everlywell has reached out to government officials and public health departments to see if the test can be made available for free,” they said in a statement.
The Food and Drug Administration is also testing a drug previously used to treat malaria as a possible treatment for the widespread respiratory illness.

As of Friday morning, there are at least 12,392 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States and 195 people have died of COVID-19-related illnesses.

I say again, if you are a worker in any field, come to Scandinavia, we got you :).
 

cytg111

Lifer
Mar 17, 2008
23,220
12,860
136
No one has the "right" to someone else's labor.
You have the right to be not killed by me. Where does this "rights" thing end? God damn libs.
Whatever WORK you do, whatever wealth you are able to acquire, all of it stands on the shoulders of the society that makes this reality possible, going back generations upon generations. Your dollars is only worth anything given the context in which it exists. Noone has the right to your labor... then get on out in the woods, shed your clothes all your belongings and keep your precious labor to yourself then. get get.
 
Last edited:

Moonbeam

Elite Member
Nov 24, 1999
72,435
6,091
126
No one has the "right" to someone else's labor.
Nobody has the right to anybody else's brain but yours has been taken over by programming you don't even realize you have. There is no form of slavery better than the one you can't see, slave. No go grind that organ, papa wants to eat.
 

Lanyap

Elite Member
Dec 23, 2000
8,106
2,157
136
This issue was not whether the example posted was a valid indicator!1 The issue is that it hap[penned regardless!!
I find nothing disingenuois about the article......



Do you know how many and what type diagnostic tests and treatments were done on this person? Do you know how many medical personnel were involved in her incidents or how much time was spent with her? $34k is excessive but what would be reasonable for all the services she received? The COVID-19 test should be free.
 

JEDIYoda

Lifer
Jul 13, 2005
33,981
3,318
126
Do you know how many and what type diagnostic tests and treatments were done on this person? Do you know how many medical personnel were involved in her incidents or how much time was spent with her? $34k is excessive but what would be reasonable for all the services she received? The COVID-19 test should be free.
I don`t need to know how many of anything was done on this woman! I read the article and posted accordingly!
To answer one of your questions -- if her treatment was recieved due to the coronavirus -- her bill should be zero dollars!!
There is nothing to justify this amount!
Now I do know hospital emergency doctors are allowed to do certain tests that might or might not lead to a diagnoisis! All we have is the article to go on! As such if everything was corona virus related then she should be charged nothing!!
In late February, Danni Askini, contacted an oncologist who had been treating her lymphoma, to report that she was experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath and a migraine, TIME reported.
Although all symptoms of the widespread virus, formally called COVID-19, her doctor thought she was likely having a bad reaction to some medication and sent her to a Boston emergency room, which in turn told her she likely had pneumonia, according to the outlet.
After coming down with a fever and a nasty cough, Askini made two more trips to the emergency room and was eventually given a test, which confirmed she had been infected with the virus.
Days after receiving the test results, Askini got a bill from the hospital for $34,927.43.
 
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