A few months ago I was diagnosed with an umbilical hernia. nothing life threatening and according to the surgeon a very simple operation. Make 3 small incisions in my side, use one to inflate the stomach wall with CO2 gas, another to allow a camera to go in so the surgeon can see what he's doing and the third for a probe that would put a piece of mesh in the hole. Went in at 9am, under anesthesia at about 10am and I came round at about 10.30. Back home by 12. Costs. Surgeon $2,700, anesthetist $1.600 and the hospital visit $42,000. Yes $42,000 for a 1 1/2 hour stay at the hospital. Then the wife developed a cough. Not a regular cough but one where you worry she's going to cough up an internal organ. Took the doctor 30 seconds to diagnose she had the flu and write a prescription. Costs. Doctor $2,400, hospital visit $7,600. Due to age, me 65, wife 72, most of the cost was paid by Medicare. So don't go blaming illegals or anyone else, blame the money grabbing hospitals.
Hospitals shouldn't pay their electric bills? water bills? taxes? staff? why don't you think the nurses should be paid? the receptionist? Why is your wife going to the hospital because of the flu? Why aren't you going to your primary physician? With that said, I certainly don't blame the illegals for the failures of Medicare/Medicaid, I blame the failures because it's Govt run.
It’s strange that most other countries with completely government run healthcare don’t have these issues, can do the same procedures at lower cost with lower incident rate and have much higher patient satisfaction. Maybe we are electing the wrong people to run these systems since it is something only we are apparently incapable of doing. So much for America being exceptional... Sure hospitals should be able to pay their bills and staff but — using the above examples — $235.00 per minute (which does not include the specialists, medical devices, or the pharmaceuticals; just the facility) is slightly absurd, and that is at the lower Medicare reimbursement rate.
What hospital is this? Show us a copy of the bill. And no, I'm not asking you to show any of your personal info. You can show the line item charges.
While illegal aliens are a factor that significantly drive the cost up, we can't blame them for taking advantage of the system. Even with the amount of money they charge, many ERs have had to close their doors because its just not enough. While one would think that hospitals are just greedy, the truth is that their profit margin is low and has been dropping. pharm companies are the ones enjoying record profits.
All the sources you posted really helped change my opinion.... /s Do y’all base anything on reality or is it just all feelings and propaganda?
The forum provides a "Reply" option so that people know who your post is directed to. Since you left it open: The main reason is the record levels of illness. Americans are fatter and sicker than ever. I do find it entertaining to read "Opinion does not cut it" followed by "Trump isn't our 45th American president; he's our 1st Russian one." Thank you for that!
I thought it was common knowledge the massive tax rates in countries like the UK and the failures of the healthcare system there
The UK version is only slightly above the US, that you have to compare the US to one of the worst version of national healthcare — and they still provide more care than we do — shows your argument is invalid. Why not compare the US to one of the successful programs? Keep in mind during your analysis that we pay on average between 2x to as much as 23x any of the comparable nations for the same (sometimes substandard) care. https://www.healthsystemtracker.org...re-countries/#item-dalys-rate-per-100000-2017
I don't know where you live or if you have special circumstances, but this sounds unusual. A simple surgery can often be performed at a surgical center, instead of a hospital, for much less money. A person with a cough (or "the flu") can usually be seen and treated at a walk-in clinic. Going to the hospital for a cough sounds especially unusual. Your experience gives me something else to ponder ---- are people with no skin in the game (because their bills are being paid by Medicare / Medicaid / fantastic insurance) less likely to care about cost and waste? And is this a good thing? But back to the point of your post ---- "don't go blaming illegals or anyone else, blame the money grabbing hospitals" ---- did it ever occur to you that the ridiculous prices charged by hospitals are at least, in part, because they are trying to cover for the lost revenue from treating "illegals" and others who cannot (or do not) pay? Or that the ridiculous prices charged by hospitals may be, in part, because hospitals are enabled by people like your wife and yourself who choose to use the hospital for things which could just as easily be taken care of at surgical centers or walk-in clinics?
I still think I may have the record with my glaucoma eye drops. $4.50 a drop. Still a little pricy from Canada at $0.65 a drop. Did I mention they are exactly the same?
Makes me thank my lucky stars I live in a country that figured out decades ago that universal health care is a common interest of citizenry a good governance. Watching Americans bicker and tear themselves apart over it is just sad. You deserve better!
Best move to another country, if you want affordable and practical health care. The situation here is hopeless.
Where do you live? I had a 4 hour shoulder rebuild which was a complex surgery and the total bill was $17,000 which covered an orthopedic surgeon, anesthesiologist, and a couple of operating room RNs and the operating room for 1/2 day. I had a torn bicep reattached at the same hospital which was about a 2.5 hour operation. The total cost of this was about $7500. Situations like you describe with your wife run about $250 at my local hospital. You must be paying for illegals. The free stuff has to be covered by the people who pay.
Try Costco if it's convenient. Seriously. You do not have to be a member to buy prescription drugs. Costco sells on a cost + basis, and does not price to market. I've saved as much as 80% on a scrip.
Is that why the Canucks come to the US for medical treatment? The US in my experience has excellent medical care. Define hopeless? We live in a country where any illegal can pop into an emergency room and be treated for anything for free.
