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Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

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Re: Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

#51

Post by maerF0x0 »

vamos_davai wrote: post #4

It's such an absurd expense that I wonder if I get diagnosed with cancer, I would just deny treatment, accept death, and hand my assets to loved ones. Not sure if anyone else thinks the same way.

That is rational thinking through and through. Part of the reason that medical costs are so high is because some people will pay any price, to themselves or to society, to get/stay healthy.

A rational person says "some costs are too extreme and thus we must allow some to die".

A flip side of the argument is that very high cost(read profit margin) of treatment incentivizes others to fund research for treatments and cures.

Re: Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

#52

Post by kevmo »

I published a piece on debt in America last week and touched in the subject of medical debt. When you look at it from a broader perspective, most Americans are in a financially dire situation. 42% sounds lower than I would have expected.

Americans are Drowning in Debt: https://thenib.com/americans-are-drowning-in-debt

Re: Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

#53

Post by cabaalis »

57% of Americans cant handle a surprise bill of $500 without going into debt. [1]

I don't doubt cancer is probably the most expensive hit that we have a good chance of receiving, but I'd be inclined to point to the lack of "life's assets" being fluid as the first problem to tackle.

[1] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/most-americans-cant-afford-a-50...

Re: Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

#54

Post by lojack »

zawerf wrote: post #9

I think that's just a corollary of "63% Of Americans Don't Have Enough Savings To Cover A $500 Emergency": https://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/2016/01/06/63-of-... EDIT: My comment is in reference to the old thread title, which was something like "More than 42 percent of the 9.5 million people diagnosed with cancer from 2000 to 2012 drained their life's assets within two years"

None of the surveys linked in this article go over age distribution of savings -- something I'd expect to be inversely proportional to incidences of cancer.

Re: Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

#55

Post by lenticular »

zawerf wrote: post #9

I think that's just a corollary of "63% Of Americans Don't Have Enough Savings To Cover A $500 Emergency": https://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/2016/01/06/63-of-... EDIT: My comment is in reference to the old thread title, which was something like "More than 42 percent of the 9.5 million people diagnosed with cancer from 2000 to 2012 drained their life's assets within two years"

Even with insurance, folks often wind up with six figures of bills out of pocket treating cancer. That's a huge amount for the even most frugal of the lower or middle class.

Re: Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

#56

Post by maerF0x0 »

davidscolgan wrote: post #3

This is honestly one of the things that most stresses me out as I get older. I don't use my insurance much now because I'm pretty healthy, but I know my cancer risk will just go up over time. I've considered that if something like this ever did happen, I'd move to Lithuania and do it there paying in cash over trying to do it in the US system. Universal health care can't come fast enough.

> Universal health care can't come fast enough.

What do you mean by "Universal healthcare"?

Re: Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

#57

Post by maire »

crimsonalucard wrote: post #28
jonlucc wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why at the doctors specifically?

They hoard Monopolized knowledge that can likely be known by a cancer technician. Then they charge a premium for it. The therapy, doctor visits and all that come from them and they charge that much because you're dying and you need access to their monopolized knowledge. Reduce 12 years of training to 4 years and lower the selection criteria of students entering a specialty and I'll show you an economy where doctors a…

Malpractice insurance takes a surprising % of doctor's income. Delivering babies is particularly expensive. It reached the point that the doctor that delivered my babies no longer carries malpractice insurance.

Re: Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

#58

Post by qudat »

crimsonalucard wrote: post #45
qudat wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd look towards regulations. It costs 2.6 billion dollars to get one single drug through the FDA: https://www.policymed.com/2014/12/a-tough-road-cost-to-devel...

This is a good thing. You don't want to be putting something in you that doesn't work. Drugs need massive R&D and that's why it's effective. I'm more talking about the majority of your bill where the doctor basically spends 5 minutes with you and charges 2k.

> This is a good thing. You don't want to be putting something in you that doesn't work. Drugs need massive R&D and that's why it's effective.

I don't necessarily disagree, but when the US is a leader in producing new drugs and they have to go through the FDA, R&D which is extremely expensive, those costs are transferred to drug prices.

Re: Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

#59

Post by JustSomeNobody »

vamos_davai wrote: post #4

It's such an absurd expense that I wonder if I get diagnosed with cancer, I would just deny treatment, accept death, and hand my assets to loved ones. Not sure if anyone else thinks the same way.

This is a very good reason to make sure one has a living will.

Re: Cancer Complications: Confusing Bills, Maddening Errors And Endless Phone Calls

#60

Post by DigiMortal »

Our healthcare system is wildly inefficient. A major overhaul would need to take place --- for me, as long as biotech and pharma innovation/production is not negatively affected (because I actually want to cure cancer) then I'm all for hearing options.
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