11–20 of 89 posts
I remember a co-worker talking about this happening to her in the 90's - she went to the ER for a sudden, large rash that turned out to be a non-emergency (shingles), but she had no way to know that. AFAIK, she had to pay the whole ER bill herself because she didn't know ahead of time how serious what she had was.
Are there cases in which a rash is a legit emergency?
I remember a co-worker talking about this happening to her in the 90's - she went to the ER for a sudden, large rash that turned out to be a non-emergency (shingles), but she had no way to know that. AFAIK, she had to pay the whole ER bill herself because she didn't know ahead of time how serious what she had was.
Are there cases in which a rash is a legit emergency?
What a bunch of fucking scumbags. Politicians need to step in and make this illegal. This industry is disgusting. Now you are talking about regular people trying to self diagnose to avoid going to the ER in fear of getting a large medical bill. Fuck these people.
My primary concern is healthcare costs. How am I supposed to budget for healthcare costs during retirement when it's already so complicated.
530,000 American households are bankrupt each year due to medical costs [1]. It seems like the most complex piece of the retirement planning puzzle.
[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/11/this-is-the-real-reason-most...
Here in Israel, if you go to the ER without are for referral from an urgent care clinic and the issue is found to be minor, you pay $140. Enough to deter frivolous cases, but not crippling.
Your kid bumps their head.
"There was no blood, but the baby was inconsolable. Jang and her husband worried he might have an injury they couldn’t see, so they called 911, and an ambulance took the family — tourists from South Korea — to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH).
The doctors at the hospital quickly determined that baby Jeong Whan was fine. He took a short nap in his mother’s arms, drank some infant formula and was discharged a few hours later with a clean bill of health.
... the bill finally arrived at their home: They owed the hospital $18,836, the bulk of which was for a mysterious fee for $15,666 labeled trauma activation"
Hahah. For the insurance companies this happens over and over.
Of course, the lobby groups will get everyone riled up over this and HN contributors will be calling UnitedHealth scumbags / capitalist pigs.
But: "UHC’s parent company UnitedHealth Group posted a 35 percent year-over-year jump in operating profits in the first quarter of 2021. Despite earning $6.7 billion in a single quarter, UHC enrollees are being asked to pay more for their coverage."
The greediest, most depraved people in the country are responsible for keeping us healthy.
Here in Israel, if you go to the ER without are for referral from an urgent care clinic and the issue is found to be minor, you pay $140. Enough to deter frivolous cases, but not crippling.