Medical Billing Errors - WTHELLO

Well, here is a "Wow, am I happy with my medical care story."

I was on a friend's farm and was bitten by her blue heeler - ripped a chunk of my face off. Went to the ER, where I was seen almost immediately. The doctor, who introduced himself to me by his full name (not "Dr Smith"), informed me that I would have to have plastic surgery that day or I would face (pun intended) a messed up face forever.

Was in that hospital for two days. Surgery was performed by two plastic surgeons and an anesthesiologist. Total bill? $3450.

Good care is possible for a reasonable price - but in my case, I was in Australia. A week later I slayed a bunch of water buffalo and had my stitches removed by a medical team flown in to treat the local aboriginal village (no cost to me, but I did have to wait until the aboriginals were taken care of). Our system is broken.

Some of you may recall I hit a coyote riding my new carbon fiber bicycle back in 2020. That hospital bill was $95,000.
That's a Hell of Price to pay to fix at Coyote..
You fellas down south are just too kind!
 
The issue really lies with hospitals and insurance providers. It’s a travesty. Physicians professional fees are often the smallest portion of any medical bill and often those get steeply discounted or undercut by insurance companies. If you want to know what a physician makes off of your medical care, look at what their professional fee is and subtract whatever their cost to perform a procedure or provide your care was. The professional fees are almost always billed separately from everything else. The rest of the entire bill goes to facility/hospital. For the the people in here who are sharing experiences of $172,000 and $2,000,000 bills the surgeon involved in those cases almost undoubtedly made anywhere from $500-$2000 at a maximum. The sad reality is that there are also common circumstances where physicians make nothing, almost nothing, or it even costs them money to perform surgeries/procedures and yet they incur/assume all of the risk and liability associated with that care. Make no mistake, our current medical system is driving physicians out of it faster than it can bring them in. There are a lot of ways to make the same living, with way less liability, time invested and less debt than becoming a doctor.
 
I thought all Canadians came to the US for all their medical care
Only those that can afford it do.While I was waiting in a doctors office 4 folks from Canada were sitting and asking questions and one said I could get this done in Canada for free but I would have to wait 3 months to even see a doctor and another said they waited and saw the doctor and had xrays and said it would be 3 months before they could do my back surgery so I came to the USA to get it done sooner.
The majority of Canadians wait and pay zero for any and all medical problems.
The only problem with Canada is the wait for 3 months except in emergencies and then it's done very quickly.
My accident was due to a car falling on me so workmans comp paid for it but with enough meds I could have waited for 3 months
 
Only those that can afford it do.While I was waiting in a doctors office 4 folks from Canada were sitting and asking questions and one said I could get this done in Canada for free but I would have to wait 3 months to even see a doctor and another said they waited and saw the doctor and had xrays and said it would be 3 months before they could do my back surgery so I came to the USA to get it done sooner.
The majority of Canadians wait and pay zero for any and all medical problems.
The only problem with Canada is the wait for 3 months except in emergencies and then it's done very quickly.
My accident was due to a car falling on me so workmans comp paid for it but with enough meds I could have waited for 3 months
That's very accurate Rooster! If we are willing to go to other towns or cities for the procedures they can be much shorter wait times. We can't just call a specialist we must be referred by a GP first and after they have tried to fix you and they get their money. Often this wastes months of time. But the quality of care once you get it is extremely high. Elective surgery we can wait, I have no problem with that....but our wait times in hospitals to see a doctor are obscene and unnecessary!
 
I feel for you brother.When you hurt so bad you can't even talk you don't want to here the words,"In 3 months we will fix you".
It appears there is NO health care any where that is as good as we want so I don't know the answer to health care problems
 
I feel for you brother.When you hurt so bad you can't even talk you don't want to here the words,"In 3 months we will fix you".
It appears there is NO health care any where that is as good as we want so I don't know the answer to health care problems
Costa Rica has it figured out Rooster. Unbelievable care there. In North America we are fed a liberal Diet of BS from the time we are interested to listen to the news, read the newspaper or listen to a politician.Our news is full of propaganda and lies. We are told how fortunate we are, what great countries we live in, We think that only Our products are the best in the world. Yes there are HORRIBLE PLACES IN THIS WORLD....but the settled, stable countries, many we call THIRD WORLD are offering better care, and FAR LESS TAXES, and essentials to daily life (foods, medical drugs) Alcohol, cigarettes, other tobacco products for our entertainment at several hundred % less than here in Canada....milk went up in Alberta...now 7.00/ gal jug, a decent steak in Safeways store...25.00 each bread avg 3.00/ loaf and Chicken 3-5 dollars/ lb. With income tax,G.S.T, and in all other Provinces ..Provincial sales tax average mid-income family is paying approximately 50% tax. PLLLLLLLLHHHHH ( that's the sound one makes sticking their tongue out and blowing hard!)
 
The what if's are very real and are quite common. People are born everyday with pre-existing conditions. People develop pre-existing conditions when they are too young to work everyday. I have had my insurance change several times at the job I am currently at. I have also changed jobs and my insurance changed. Making the original insurance company cover it is absurd. My first job was an old HMO that does not exist anymore so what then? Also, if your insurance changed at your company and you kept the original you would no longer get the negotiated pricing and your premiums would soar out of control. You don't address the fact that your premiums could easily become unaffordable and make it impossible for you to pay and as a result you would be uninsurable for the rest of your life. Of course when you mention the social fabric taking care of it, if you mean a public option or medicare then I am all in but you don't get out of paying for it. If you are talking about some magical charity that will cover the hundred million americans that you rendered uninsurable and it get its money from donations then that is as ludicrous as it sounds.

What you don't seem to get about doctors is that if they wanted to be more competitive with their pricing, there is nothing stopping them and insurance companies would love it if they charged less money.

Cheap cola doesn't compete enough to drive down the cost of other colas which I believe was your point in that the free market would drive down prices. If coke and pepsi are raising their prices then RC is having no effect on the free market.

If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?
I’m 40.
First I agree it’s hard to figure what to do with pre-existing conditions. But again that’s is real but statistically a small percentage of cases. What you are not seeming to understand is that free market does work.
I used to drink Coke. Now I I don’t because of the price. But I have a option to make a choice for something cheaper. That works juts the same. They can raise prices all they want until they can’t. Supply and demand.
The higher they go the more market share the cheaper alternatives get.
Look at ford and gm. Same thing until these cheaper companies took their lunch.
Juts takes time and the right price point.
Doctors or anyone providing service will never charge less willingly. They need someone competing with them to drive cost down. Explain why it works in every other industry in all of time but for some reason you dont think it works for doctors?
As for large charity’s not being able to you seem to forget that is what filled that void for the longest time. Look at the massive churches and all the hood they were doing until the government started to fill the roles.
Think about this. I pay roughly 50k in taxes every year. I’m not the only one. Now if that money was left to me I indeed would spend a decent amount on charity because it makes me feel good.
That means I could probably donate enough to help someone out. But I don’t have that choice now because they take it from me.
I’m sorry but the system you are standing behind is socialist and had never and never will work long term. It can’t be funded
. Even this past year California failed to pass such a system because the 4rth largest economy in the world could not support it at the date level.
 
I think the best way to fix the system is again back to my main point personal responsibility.
Health savings accounts. Statistically speaking if at 18 or common working age. If one was to start putting money away for healthcare they would have no issues.
The whole system always uses the young healthy to help spread cost. But if you have a savings you should be good statistically.
Bottom line is I still can’t figure out how you can morally think it’s ok to take from one person by force to give to another. It’s called theft. That’s it only thing it is.
What happens to Canada’s healthcare if they didn’t have old Uncle Sam living under its hat to make sure nobody invades them.
 
Reality is a bummer snox801.Sounds right but as I am a dreamer I just hoped for the greatest country in the world could do better.
Some politicians go into office as a poor person and after a few years could retire wealthy.Thats wrong morality wise but not illegal from the laws standpoint.The greatest country in the world could do better.
I haven't figured out how much in taxes I pay but it sneaks up on ya.I would not want to wake up anywhere else in the world than the USA but feel it could do better somehow.
 
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