Medical equipment pricing is completely broken when a sling costs $200
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Re: Medical equipment pricing is completely broken when a sling costs $200
#2We had a call with someone who works on the pricelist/chargemaster for a major metro hospital recently, they set their prices by taking the Medicare reimbursement rate, and multiplying by 8.
Re: Medical equipment pricing is completely broken when a sling costs $200
#3i wonder if a hospital would still charge you if you refused
thier price gouge materials and used your own purchased at a proper price, as in "thanks for setting the bone, i dont need your sling i have my own and it will do fine, here is my lawyers contact card."
Re: Medical equipment pricing is completely broken when a sling costs $200
#4I just got an itemized bill today for a minor fall I took a couple months back..
On top of the nearly $6k in other charges from the hospital, they charged $531 for one dab of superglue or "liquid stitches" on my forehead for something that would have healed by itself.
One of my friends died two years ago from pneumonia. He didn't go to the hospital when symptoms first started because he was afraid of the bills that would come from it.
They don't ask you if you want to spend $500 for a dab of glue on your forehead, they just do it and you're essentially writing them a blank check in the process. I hate our medical system.
Re: Medical equipment pricing is completely broken when a sling costs $200
#5i wonder if a hospital would still charge you if you refused thier price gouge materials and used your own purchased at a proper price, as in "thanks for setting the bone, i dont need your sling i have my own and it will do fine, here is my lawyers contact card."
“OK, the cost of setting that bone just went up $900.”
That’s probably what they would do. We know that they don’t base prices in any kind of rationally economic way.
Re: Medical equipment pricing is completely broken when a sling costs $200
#6> Hillary Schuler-Jones, a Breg spokeswoman, declined to answer questions about the price of the Deluxe Shoulder Immobilizer. “It is important to note,” she said, “that Breg’s customer is not the patient, but the healthcare provider.” In most cases, “we don’t sell our products directly to patients, and we therefore don’t have a patient price list.”
This is pretty infuriating given that the article previously said that Breg directly billed the patient in a "surprise billing".
A company with seemingly no connection to the hospital directly bills the patient $200 for a $12 item and then when asked about this by a journalist says "We don't sell direct to patients" and refuses all further comment.
If they don't ever sell direct to patients then the bill must be fraudulent, sent by an imposter.
Curiously enough last year I received one of these sorts of fraudulent scam bills. A traffic camera ticket. It had my name but no street identified, no license plate or car description, no drivers license number, and no photo of the alleged infraction. The mailing address was to a location far away from the city, neither location which I had driven in recently, and the company I was supposed to write the check to didn't have a lot of information about who they were online. I was not allowed to contest it unless I signed an agreement to accept private arbitration results. I went to the city it allegedly came from and asked at their courthouse about it and the clerk told me "You are required to pay this" but said she was not able to verify anything about the ticket, give me a license plate number, or the name of an intersection or photograph, referring me instead to the arbitration and saying that "privacy laws" prevented her from saying anything else. So I didn't pay it, ignored it and never heard about it again. As far as I'm concerned it was a scam. If it really came from the city it was unconstitutional because there was no due process. It also wasn't served, it was mailed bulk rate and not even registered, which such mailing is not a valid server process in this jurisdiction.
Given that this company Breg says they don't sell to patients, the patient has a legal basis for refusing to pay this bill claiming to be sent from them, because the company itself has claimed in an official statement to a journalist that the bill is fraudulent.
Re: Medical equipment pricing is completely broken when a sling costs $200
#7I just got an itemized bill today for a minor fall I took a couple months back.. On top of the nearly $6k in other charges from the hospital, they charged $531 for one dab of superglue or "liquid stitches" on my forehead for something that would have healed by itself. One of my friends died two years ago from pneumonia. He didn't go to the hospital when symptoms first started because he was afraid of the bills that w…
Pretty sure if you go through the effort to challenge such charges you can get them changed. https://www.vox.com/2019/3/22/18261698/how-to-fight-expensiv...
Re: Medical equipment pricing is completely broken when a sling costs $200
#8Well, popcorn in a movie theater also costs 10x more than it should, because they have you as a captive audience.
And it doesn't help that the price is basically opaque and paid for by insurance, for a person who doesn't care about the price at that moment.
It's a ridiculous system.
Re: Medical equipment pricing is completely broken when a sling costs $200
#9yes. something is very wrong. everyone in America has known that for decades. the LA Times very often states the obvious in its headlines.
Re: Medical equipment pricing is completely broken when a sling costs $200
#10i wonder if a hospital would still charge you if you refused thier price gouge materials and used your own purchased at a proper price, as in "thanks for setting the bone, i dont need your sling i have my own and it will do fine, here is my lawyers contact card."
IIRC prior to being treated you agree to be financially liable for the costs. Prior to even knowing that that will be or even the costs involved. Or even if you know what is involved are you going to understand what a reasonable cost is? EG: Sling is easy but what about a x-ray study? Is that 200$ or $150?
Just like a proper capitalist system! You know, like when you agreed to pay whatever for your iPhone prior to even know it'll work.