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Emergency room patients can face steep bills even when treatment is declined

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Re: Emergency room patients can face steep bills even when treatment is declined

#21

Post by titzer »

charlesdm wrote: post #16
toomanybeersies wrote: post #9

How can people read and hear about stories like this, and even possibly think it's OK or even normal? How do lawmakers in the USA convince people that this is acceptable? I have never directly paid a single cent for healthcare, and neither has anyone I know. When I had to get 6 stitches in my forehead at 2 AM on a Sunday morning, it cost me nothing. When my friend needed to get the tip of his finger reattached, it co…

I will bring up one point. The wages medical practitioners make are generally higher in the US. So the cost of medical care is higher. I live in Belgium, mostly good and free healthcare (barring payment of a few euros here and there). I have 3 cousins who are (or are studying to become) doctors and while specialised doctors can make decent money (€75 -> 450k), they don't come anywhere close to what a US based doctor…

That's a good point, but not the only reason. The insurance industry extracts a big profit margin by just moving money from one risk pool to another, and that profit has to come from somewhere, so, costs go up. It's inevitable.

Re: Emergency room patients can face steep bills even when treatment is declined

#22

Post by spsrich »

Any parent has similar stories. Consumer law does not seem to apply to doctors and hospitals.

Imagine if you took your car into the shop - there is no price list, they won't give you an estimate, and for weeks after they send you random bills without indicating what it's for?

This affects everybody in the US, and I don't understand why it's allowed to continue, except the medical industry has bought off all the politicians

Re: Emergency room patients can face steep bills even when treatment is declined

#23

Post by tunbgeetf »

Arnt wrote: post #13
ishansharma wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess the point of the article is exhorbitant fees. An ice pack and a bandage in ER don’t have to cost $5k plus.

What is it that does cost $5k? Keeping a mostly-unused tomography machine and crew ready in case someone at the ER needs it? Insurance premiums charged per patient who walks in the door? We get these complaints in Germany too (where I currently live) BTW. "A five-minute drive with an ambulance shouldn't cost €500!" someone complained to the newspaper here recently. It doesn't, what costs €500 is keeping enough ambula…

€500 is still something many people can pay in Germany, 5k isn't something the average American can foot (with no treatment to boot). It's not at all a comparable complaint.

IIRC an ambulance ride in the US is 10-20k, that's indicative of just how much more medical care costs over there.

Re: Emergency room patients can face steep bills even when treatment is declined

#24

Post by sjg007 »

3princip wrote: post #18
toomanybeersies wrote: post #9

How can people read and hear about stories like this, and even possibly think it's OK or even normal? How do lawmakers in the USA convince people that this is acceptable? I have never directly paid a single cent for healthcare, and neither has anyone I know. When I had to get 6 stitches in my forehead at 2 AM on a Sunday morning, it cost me nothing. When my friend needed to get the tip of his finger reattached, it co…

I understand where you're coming from, I too live in a country where healthcare is free at the point of use, but your claim is ludicrous. If you've ever payed any taxes then you have payed for the services you've received.

In America you pay for health insurance and Medicaid and Medicare taxes. So we are already paying for universal healthcare we just don’t get it until we are 65 or poor or disabled.

Re: Emergency room patients can face steep bills even when treatment is declined

#25

Post by towndrunk »

toomanybeersies wrote: post #9

How can people read and hear about stories like this, and even possibly think it's OK or even normal? How do lawmakers in the USA convince people that this is acceptable? I have never directly paid a single cent for healthcare, and neither has anyone I know. When I had to get 6 stitches in my forehead at 2 AM on a Sunday morning, it cost me nothing. When my friend needed to get the tip of his finger reattached, it co…

What about Alfie Evens? UK said he must die. Parents were prevented from taking him to another country for care.

Re: Emergency room patients can face steep bills even when treatment is declined

#26

Post by pyvpx »

charlesdm wrote: post #16
toomanybeersies wrote: post #9

How can people read and hear about stories like this, and even possibly think it's OK or even normal? How do lawmakers in the USA convince people that this is acceptable? I have never directly paid a single cent for healthcare, and neither has anyone I know. When I had to get 6 stitches in my forehead at 2 AM on a Sunday morning, it cost me nothing. When my friend needed to get the tip of his finger reattached, it co…

I will bring up one point. The wages medical practitioners make are generally higher in the US. So the cost of medical care is higher. I live in Belgium, mostly good and free healthcare (barring payment of a few euros here and there). I have 3 cousins who are (or are studying to become) doctors and while specialised doctors can make decent money (€75 -> 450k), they don't come anywhere close to what a US based doctor…

it has little to do with the pay of doctors and everything to do with health care administration costs, and insurance companies extracting as much profit as possible.

Re: Emergency room patients can face steep bills even when treatment is declined

#27

Post by ttul »

charlesdm wrote: post #16
toomanybeersies wrote: post #9

How can people read and hear about stories like this, and even possibly think it's OK or even normal? How do lawmakers in the USA convince people that this is acceptable? I have never directly paid a single cent for healthcare, and neither has anyone I know. When I had to get 6 stitches in my forehead at 2 AM on a Sunday morning, it cost me nothing. When my friend needed to get the tip of his finger reattached, it co…

I will bring up one point. The wages medical practitioners make are generally higher in the US. So the cost of medical care is higher. I live in Belgium, mostly good and free healthcare (barring payment of a few euros here and there). I have 3 cousins who are (or are studying to become) doctors and while specialised doctors can make decent money (€75 -> 450k), they don't come anywhere close to what a US based doctor…

This is not the reason US healthcare is costly. Canadian doctors do very well - there isn't much incentive to work south of the border. The reason US healthcare is expensive is because you have multiple payors and a ridiculously complex web of rules for everyone to navigate.

Re: Emergency room patients can face steep bills even when treatment is declined

#29

Post by drunken-serval »

towndrunk wrote: post #25
toomanybeersies wrote: post #9

How can people read and hear about stories like this, and even possibly think it's OK or even normal? How do lawmakers in the USA convince people that this is acceptable? I have never directly paid a single cent for healthcare, and neither has anyone I know. When I had to get 6 stitches in my forehead at 2 AM on a Sunday morning, it cost me nothing. When my friend needed to get the tip of his finger reattached, it co…

What about Alfie Evens? UK said he must die. Parents were prevented from taking him to another country for care.

[flagged]

Re: Emergency room patients can face steep bills even when treatment is declined

#30

Post by pyvpx »

Arnt wrote: post #13
ishansharma wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess the point of the article is exhorbitant fees. An ice pack and a bandage in ER don’t have to cost $5k plus.

What is it that does cost $5k? Keeping a mostly-unused tomography machine and crew ready in case someone at the ER needs it? Insurance premiums charged per patient who walks in the door? We get these complaints in Germany too (where I currently live) BTW. "A five-minute drive with an ambulance shouldn't cost €500!" someone complained to the newspaper here recently. It doesn't, what costs €500 is keeping enough ambula…

what German health insurance plan does not cover an ambulance ride in full?
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