Healthcare costs... *sigh*

[sirwired]

Last week, I had two relatively minor, concurrent, operations. The first was for the removal of a (benign) salivary gland tumor. The second was nasal surgery so I can actually breathe through my nose. Both operations went smoothly and were successful. I was "under the knife" for about four hours total. I spent overnight in the hospital, had one minor complication (a clogged surgical drain) and was discharged without incident the following morning.

Today I saw the preliminary numbers for my bill.

$38642. (Based on how long I was in the hospital, this comes to approx. $1500/hr.)

Insurance has already negotiated it down to $31472 (and I suspect it will be negotiated down further.) My share is 20% of that, plus a $1000 deductible.

I can swing it, and thank my lucky stars I can. But that still hurts.

The estimate they told me BEFORE the surgery was ~$12k. I'll be fascinated to find out from the billing department how they underestimated the cost by such a large margin.

[Geek King]

Did you get anything in writting? In some states, estimates off by a large percentage trip consumer protection laws. This may not apply to medical treatment, though. IANAL.

[Mytical]

Personally I do not have a clue how they get the cost of services. I was in the hospital (and ICU) for 6 days and the grand total come to a little over 3k. I had a 30 minute surgery and it cost 9k. So...*shrugs*

[PepperElf]

sounds like they have different rates depending on the services...

icu with just nurses caring for you may cost one rate
while having a specialized surgeon for a number of hours sounds like it has a much different rate

[Pixilated]

I'm just glad you can manage it ... that's seriously scary.

[csquared]

I tallied up my expenses from my hospital stay and my Cardiac Cath. $32K before the negotiated rate. Negotiated rate was $5K. That was ONLY the hospital. All the other services were about $5K marked down to less than $1K. Add in all the other follow ups, tests, checks, etc. and I have used up all of my $4K max copay.

I would be afraid to see what Myt's total pre-negotiated rates were.

[kpzra]

When I had my c-section the anesthesiologist alone was $2500.

[Catwoman2965]

I'm amazed when I see itemized hospital bills. About 10 years ago I spent almost a week in the hospital with pancreatitis. I don't recall the total cost, but I do remember the room charge was 1500 or 1600 per day. I was back in about a year later for the same thing, and the room charge had DOUBLED, to about 3000-3200 per day. Thankfully I have decent insurance so if I recall, the total for both stays was about 40K, and my out of pocket was about 1200. Would have been less, but the second time around, I was admitted directly from the same day surgery after a procedure, and apparently, if that happens, the in-hospital dr. visits are not covered at 100%. Only if you leave, and are later admitted.

[Little Retail Rabbit]

This entire topic makes me love the NHS and absolutely fucking terrified of the fact I'm meant to be emigrating to the US @____@

[artcurmudgeon]

Rabbit,

My wife immigrated to the states back in 01' and for all the money it costs she loves it compared to the NHS.

It will be a shock for you but it is amazing the difference....

[Mytical]

If I had to pay the full costs of just my medical bills incurred since just last march..it comes to roughly $45,000 negotiated. I have no clue what it would have been before negotiation. All combined..I would owe well over 100k in medical bills.

[Diablo]

Jesus Christ this whole system is insane.

When I was on terminal leave with the navy, I had a seizure and ended up in the hospital while visiting my sister. I was so out of it, that they just took by drivers license instead of my military ID. Fast forward a few weeks and I get a bill in the mail for something like $6k...which I didn't have. Thankfully I was able to prove I was still on active duty at the time and even if I wasn't, it was service connected so...universal healthcare through the VA system.

[raudf]

*shudders* I just got out of the hopsickle with a c-section, and I dread the amount I'd have to pay without my private insurance and Medicaid... thank goodness for Medicaid deciding that my since my insurance wouldn't pay all the expenses, they'd pay what's left over. Took me 8 years to pay off my first born and that was a straight forward easy pregnancy!

[Der Cute]

If I'm right, the charges are for room stays, doctor visits, anesthesiologists (spell that correctly all the time), and meds, right? So let me stay, use a Nurse Practitioner, frying pan to knock my ass out, and JD for healing.

[Draper Mel]

Somewhere around here I have paperwork from my spinal surgery. I want to say it was in the neighborhood of $20k. My portion ended up being around $1500 I think. Just finished paying it off in July