Thank God we have the best healthcare system in the known universe

[WhoIsNumberNone]

USA Today:

CHANDLER, Ariz. – A hospital that billed a woman $83,046 for a visit that included administering two doses of scorpion antivenom said Wednesday that it plans to adjust the woman's bill and review its price for the specialty medication.

Marcie Edmonds provided a copy of her bill to The Arizona Republic last week that showed Chandler Regional Medical Center charged her $39,652 per dose of Anascorp, a scorpion antivenom approved by the Food and Drug Administration last summer. She received two doses to treat her symptoms during a three-hour stay in June after a bark scorpion sting.

Edmonds' insurer, Humana, paid Chandler Regional $57,509 for the bill. The hospital has asked Edmonds for the balance of $25,537. She also has received another bill from the hospital's emergency-room physician for $1,302.

It's unclear whether Chandler Regional will agree to drop the entire balance of Edmonds' bill, but the hospital apologized to Edmonds for any distress caused by the treatment cost.

"Our patient financial-services team is working directly with Ms. Edmonds to adjust the high out-of-network cost of the Anascorp antivenom she received," the hospital said in a statement Wednesday. "In addition, we are also currently reviewing our pricing of this expensive specialty medication."

Chandler Regional Medical Center said several insurance companies don't cover the cost of Anascorp.

Sure it's a little steep, but better that than the horrors of socialized medicine!

[RagAss]

1. We are so fucked ! What an Evil system. May they all burn in hell.

[xchrom]

2. & this is the incident we hear about.

If there hadn't been a scorpion involved this - like so many others - would go unreported.

[BeyondGeography]

3. "Pharmacies in Mexico charge about $100 per dose."

Wake the fuck up, America.

[Cleita]

5. I was just gonna say.

[MuseRider]

4. There really is no excuse for this.

My husband spent one half of a day and a night in a cardiac care ward for observation. Our bill was $16,000.00. No special meds, just observation. Still can't figure that one out but we have moved on to other things to deal with at the moment.

I can't wait to find out what it cost for a new valve and a new ascending aorta followed by 6 days in the ICU and 4 days on the cardiac ward.

This poor woman, that is simply outrageous. All if it is. How do these people sleep at night?

[NV Whino]

6. My recent trip to emergency after an auto accident

Was billed at over $3000. It included blood tests, X-rays, an EKG and "go home, take two aspirin and call your GP in the morning." I was there maybe an hour and a half. I didn't call my GP.

Just got the copy of the cost for a colonoscopy: $11,949.80!

Thank the gods for Medicare.

[rog]

8. Wow ... just out of curiosity, was the bulk ...

... was the bulk of that bill anesthesia?

I just looked up the "fair price" of a colonoscopy in my zip code on http://healthcarebluebook.com and got this result. This is WITHOUT anesthesia, though, so I would expect a higher total charge ... but almost 10 grand more??? Yikes.

Physician Services

Service: Colonoscopy (with biopsy) - Endoscopic evaluation of the colon, including a biopsy or lesion removal.

Fee: $819

Fee Details: Physician fee for this procedure which may be performed in an out patient surgery center. Anesthesia, if required, would be an additional fee.

Facility Services

Service: Colonoscopy (with biopsy) - Endoscopic evaluation of the colon, including a biopsy or lesion removal.

Fee: $696

Fee Details: Price is for an outpatient procedure. Overnight stay is not included.

Total Fair Price: $1,515

Again, this is w/o anesthesia and without an overnight stay. Did your bill include a night in the hospital and anesthesia?

I'm really curious about what they're charging for where you are.

.rog.

[NV Whino]

11. Here's the break down

It was outpatient surgery, in at 9:00 out at about 1:00 or so.

IV solutions (saline drip probably) $82.40
Tissue exam by pathologist $2,513.50
Colonoscopy and biopsy (a camera up my posterior and a snip of tissue) $9,062.90
I don't know what the next three are, but at least one would have been an antibiotic required because of recent hip replacement.
Inj midazolam hydrochloride $105 (saline drip?)
Piperacillin/tazo bactum $85.40 (antibiotic?)
Fenatanlyn citrate injeciton (sic… I'm sure they meant injection) (anesthetic?) $100.60

I have to say, I'm amused at the odd numbers: 40, 60, and 90 cents?

So the bulk of the cost was the surgeon and pathologist. (Everything was hunky-dory, by the way.)

[Butterbean]

14. 2 of the last 3 meds were for what's called conscious sedation (a type of anesthesia, kind of)

and one is an antibiotic. The bulk of billing in hospitals comes from overhead charges. Plus, our anesthesiologists charge $180 every time they step in your room and say "hi, how ya doing?" It's pretty insane.

[NV Whino]

12. Here's the fair price from your link

Physician Services
Service: Colonoscopy (with biopsy) - Endoscopic evaluation of the colon, including a biopsy or lesion removal.
Fee: $1,079
Fee Details: Physician fee for this procedure which may be performed in an out patient surgery center. Anesthesia, if required, would be an additional fee.

Facility Services
Service: Colonoscopy (with biopsy) - Endoscopic evaluation of the colon, including a biopsy or lesion removal.
Fee: $772
Fee Details: Price is for an outpatient procedure. Overnight stay is not included.
Total Fair Price: $1,851

[rog]

17. There should be some way ...

... to show that figure to whoever is responsible for coming up with the $9,000+ price tag. I wonder if the doc even knows what the hospital is charging for this procedure. I'm sure the bean counters could come up with a way to justify this price, but it seems like robbery to me.

.rog.

[NV Whino]

18. Me too

I have some inside info that a surgeon at that hospital gets $300 per surgery. So, I'm guessing that my doctor got no more, and probably less, than $300.

Bear in mind, this is what the hospital presented to Medicare. Medicare certainly didn't pay them that. What Medicare paid each hospital was within a hundred dollars of each other.

What it comes down to, is the entire system is fucked.

[SheilaT]

9. If you have auto insurance,

you should have medical coverage up to some particular dollar amount, depending on your specific policy. A typical minimum to carry is $5,000.

You might want to check in with your car insurance on this. The ER should have asked you about your car insurance, to cover this.

Some years back I made a trip to the ER after an auto accident, and fretted for a year over the fact that I never received a bill. And I honestly did not understand why until after I went to work for an attorney who did personal injury stuff, which is how I finally learned (what I ought to have known all along) about my car insurance coverage.

This is something that a lot of people do not understand at all, and so they'll refuse to go to a hospital after an accident, especially if they have no or inadequate health insurance otherwise.

Anyway, do see if your auto insurance will cover the ER.

[NV Whino]

10. Car insurance took care of it

When I went to emergency I didn't have case number yet and was so intent on making sure I didn't have cracked ribs that I just gave them my regular insurance, which of course refused to pay. Passed the bill along to my car guys and they paid… after picking themselves up off the floor. I told them to negotiate. I'm sure they did.

[SheilaT]

13. Oh, good. I'm glad to hear.

I get very upset at people who after an auto accident don't go to the ER if it's warranted. I am one of those who for many years absolutely did not understand that my car insurance medical thing (whatever the specific coverage is called) will cover from dollar one in the ER up to whatever your limits are.

As I said in my earlier post, I had that accident of my own after which I absolutely did not understand why I never saw a bill. After all these years (about 15) my memory of everything is understandably a bit hazy. I have no trouble recalling the accident, my decision I needed to go to the ER, the ambulance ride, and then much of what took place in the ER. I have absolutely no memory of whatever paperwork was done. Zero. zip. nada. In recent years I have done outpatient registration at a hospital, although not in the ER, so I do have a good understanding now, years later, of the paperwork involved. In my recollection I went from being in the ambulance to being in the ER, getting x-rays, my husband showing up, and then going home with a prescription for muscle relaxants. I'd been concerned about a possible whiplash injury. Anyway, all was well with me, and it sounds like all was well with you.

[NV Whino]

15. Yeah, I'm good

I had a seat belt injury, but I think my chiropractor will turn me loose on Monday. Google seat belt injury and understand that mine wasn't anywhere near what you will find. But it will give you an idea what a seat belt can do in the name of protecting you.

[daleo]

7. Sounds like she was bitten by two scorpions

Only one of which was an arachnid.

[freethought]

16. As I read this the word "surreal" came to mind

Oh, silly me, it was "out of network". I guess that explains and justifies everything.