The damned insurance companies are the ones who have really put us in this mess. I am a firm believer in that...
My wife was in the ER about a month ago for chest pains... They ran an EKG, found 'no problems' and prescribed her 10 Xanax for 'stress'... We just got the bill for 900 dollars, and in that bill were two charges for medications that were never administered nor delivered.
The breakdown was as follows:
$5.00 for for a container to take a urine sample
$161.00 for the EKG machine to run on her for 10 minutes.
$17.24 for a drug that was not administered or delivered.
$135.00 for a chemical that is listed as a serum (not administered or delivered)
$584.00 for 45 minutes in the ER...
A f*cking 900.00 ER bill for 45 minutes... Oh, and here were the doctors charges:
$321.00 for a 'moderate' ER visit
$20.00 for 'ECG 12 LEADS INTERPRETATION AND REPORT'...
Now I don't care who or what reasoning there is for this, but there is no excuse for 1200+ dollars for 45 minutes in the ER. NONE...
Especially when so far, I see 2 charges totalling almost 150 in drugs that were not administered. The 10 xanax we had to get at WalMart...
When my mom had to go in last November to have her colon and half of her lower intestine removed, the hospital sent her home with her 'dressings' and 'bandages' and gave her the information she needed to re-order the additional dressings... Her insurance company was billed over $500.00 for just the 'last set' of dressings - which took care of her for 3 days. $500.00 for gauze bandages... Then when she had to get her own, they were going to charge the insurance almost $1000.00 for the next sets - which would have lasted a week. She went online, and found the EXACT dressings, from the same manufacturer, and ordered a month's supply for $159 dollars shipped to her door. A month's supply... Now someone explain to me what the problem is here... Because I can't understand this at all... No wonder the insurance is so f*cking unaffordable... No wonder medical care is out of control... Because these companies have been allowed to run rampant for too long with nobody looking over their shoulder to protect the innocents from the greed... Now, that it is so far out of control that the government feels it has to get in the middle of it, and nobody likes that -- I don't care who you are -- but what else are we supposed to do? Just let it go like it is? In 5 more years, if you're not the 1%, you won't be able to afford *... I can't go to a doctor, because I don't have medical care -- I earn too much as a self-employed contractor to qualify for medical assistance, yet I pay taxes into the medicare and medicaid... But I don't make enough to keep food on my table and pay for healthcare... I tried to get to a doctor because I went through a spell this spring where I started having breathing and allergy problems to the point where it made me really sick... The doctor said they couldn't see me for two weeks, and if I didn't have atleast $150.00 when I walked in the door, not to bother making an appointment... And they were the cheap doctor...
Now you see why I am all for some form of government intervention. These people have been plagued by bullsh*t lawsuits, insurance companies, fraud, and all out greediness... To the point where people who f*cking work for a living can't afford to stay healthy enough to even make it to work... And those are the people who pay into this system of Medicaid and Medicare... But we're the ones who can't get any benefit from it... Instead, we get our wages garnished, and sued when we can't pay the bills...
Thanks...