CRAZY medical costs in USA

[sarv_shaktimaan]

You can share some of your stories here .. here's one from me.

2 hours in the cardiology center of a major hospital .. USD 4K bill .. Finally the patient paid only $50 after insurance covered the rest.

How come an ultrasound, an ECG, and doctor listening to heart via stethoscope cost $4000? All this to rule out a heart murmur reported by physician during strep check.

[Aashika]

Originally Posted by sarv_shaktimaan

You can share some of your stories here .. here's one from me.

2 hours in the cardiology center of a major hospital .. USD 4K bill .. Finally the patient paid only $50 after insurance covered the rest.

How come an ultrasound, an ECG, and doctor listening to heart via stethoscope cost $4000? All this to rule out a heart murmur reported by physician during strep check.

without insurance, it probably would be the same even here.

[sgars]

Originally Posted by sarv_shaktimaan

You can share some of your stories here .. here's one from me.

2 hours in the cardiology center of a major hospital .. USD 4K bill .. Finally the patient paid only $50 after insurance covered the rest.

How come an ultrasound, an ECG, and doctor listening to heart via stethoscope cost $4000? All this to rule out a heart murmur reported by physician during strep check.

There must be some ‘insurer negotiated discounts’ too. How much were they. Probably if you don’t have insurance, these could still be there.

[sarv_shaktimaan]

Originally Posted by Aashika

without insurance, it probably would be the same even here.

They never give break up .. so I'm guessing 2000 for ultrasound, 1000 for ECG and 5 minutes of cardiologist's stethoscope hearing makes for the rest of 1000 bucks. (given cardiologist is a senior guy with over 100 papers on heart's smallest issues)

For a pregnant lady a 3D/4D ultrasound costs around 150 bucks from a private clinic without insurance. I understand the skill involved in operating the ultrasound machine, electric bill, etc etc.. but $2000 or so for 15 minutes???

P.S. In terms of real value, NO DOUBT it was priceless to get a 'clean' bill of health from this 2 hour visit.

[sarv_shaktimaan]

Originally Posted by sgars

There must be some ‘insurer negotiated discounts’ too. How much were they. Probably if you don’t have insurance, these could still be there.

Contractual adjustment of $2400 was applied first, then insurance company paid rest of the bill, patient owed only $50 afterwards.

[Zorro]

Originally Posted by sarv_shaktimaan

They never give break up .. so I'm guessing 2000 for ultrasound, 1000 for ECG and 5 minutes of cardiologist's stethoscope hearing makes for the rest of 1000 bucks. (given cardiologist is a senior guy with over 100 papers on heart's smallest issues)

For a pregnant lady a 3D/4D ultrasound costs around 150 bucks from a private clinic without insurance. I understand the skill involved in operating the ultrasound machine, electric bill, etc etc.. but $2000 or so for 15 minutes???

P.S. In terms of real value, NO DOUBT it was priceless to get a 'clean' bill of health from this 2 hour visit.

Your Explanation of Benefits issued by your insurance provider should always have an itemized cost of services. Two years ago I was hospitalized for a kidney stone problem -- the bill was over 10k, I received an itemized EOB. I paid nothing for the hospitalization, only $30 for the office visit co-pay for a visit to the urologist.

Thank God for insurance!

[sarv_shaktimaan]

Originally Posted by Zorro

Your Explanation of Benefits issued by your insurance provider should always have an itemized cost of services.

That often arrives much after one is asked to pay the bill

Originally Posted by Zorro

Thank God for insurance!

I heard hospitals over charge insurance companies so they get enough to cover their costs.. and Insurance companies under pay since they don't buy bloated medical claims.. it's a vicious circle.

The famous article on Time about all this .. Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us

One of the many exorbitant charges in a hospital bill, from the article.. Niacin Tablet Patient was charged $24 per 500-mg tablet of niacin. In drugstores, the pills go for about a nickel each

[sarv_shaktimaan]

Do any of you have relatives living in USA/Canada that are over 70 years of age? My relatives over the age of 60 are visiting India every 3-4 months.. they spend first few days doing all the wellness tests, ECG, etc etc.

[echarcha]

American health care is the best in the world ...








only if you are in an emergency situation like an accident, where they will get you to the hospital ER in no time and doctors start working on you immediately.

For all other ailments, the medical expertise is not bad at all BUT THE COSTS ARE KILLER!!!

[sgars]

Originally Posted by sarv_shaktimaan

Contractual adjustment of $2400 was applied first, then insurance company paid rest of the bill, patient owed only $50 afterwards.

There is a chance that this adjustment could happen even without insurance. Vaguely remember seeing some one get such discount in LA, or the bill said so.

Coming to OP, some examples -

My Tauji, visiting his son (my cousin) was hospitalized for a few days. The bill came to 50-60k. The travel insurance which he had from India, refused to cover it. It said that existing conditions are not covered.

one colleague had sleepless nights over a 17k bill he got for maternity of his wife. Later on it was settled that the bill was a goof up due to incorrect insurance information

[sgars]

Originally Posted by echarcha

American health care is the best in the world ...








only if you are in an emergency situation like an accident, where they will get you to the hospital ER in no time and doctors start working on you immediately.

For all other ailments, the medical expertise is not bad at all BUT THE COSTS ARE KILLER!!!

Yups - I spent a day in hospital for this cellulitis which cost the same as rest of the treatment.

The scary part was overhearing a doc tell another patient that they had to amputate his leg
later, i had to visit a 'podiatrist' who dug over my left foot for 3 months.

Originally Posted by sgars

i am having cellulitis which my chappals seemed to hve picked up in Hyderabad streets, but made it to my foot only in the flight through a small scratch last Sunday

If more aggravated, i would look like mny beggars who display swollen feet or legs.

The docs in India probably would have fixed it much more simply but here they are loading me with IV and oral antibiotics.

[Aashika]

Originally Posted by sgars

There is a chance that this adjustment could happen even without insurance. Vaguely remember seeing some one get such discount in LA, or the bill said so.

Coming to OP, some examples -

My Tauji, visiting his son (my cousin) was hospitalized for a few days. The bill came to 50-60k. The travel insurance which he had from India, refused to cover it. It said that existing conditions are not covered.

one colleague had sleepless nights over a 17k bill he got for maternity of his wife. Later on it was settled that the bill was a goof up due to incorrect insurance information

If you dont have insurance, its going to cost a LOT. On top of that there is this thing about existing conditions. But most insurance companies also charge a bit more and cover for existing conditions.
56-60K...wow. that would have been brutal.

Luckily for me, I live where everything is fairly simple. for both my C-sections, I paid $130 for 3 nights stay. that was for parking. everything else was covered.

[sarv_shaktimaan]

Originally Posted by Aashika

Luckily for me, I live where everything is fairly simple. for both my C-sections, I paid $130 for 3 nights stay. that was for parking. everything else was covered.

Get out of here Any links for Canadian immigration?

If you don't mind me asking, how much do you pay monthly for medical insurance premium? I pay like 400 for family, used to pay as high as 1000 per month few years back, before tax that too.

Parking in hospitals is free in America (if you're admitted there, they'll waive the parking fee).. but a regular pregnancy with most insurances will cost at least $1K to $5K, C-section must be higher.

Epidurals alone cost about $2-3K.

Here's What It Costs to Actually Become a Mother

Source: time.com/money

Children are priceless, but in the United States, giving birth to one is far from free. When American mothers take their newborns home from the hospital, big bills can follow.

The average doctor charges for a vaginal delivery with no complications in the U.S. is $3,035, according to data from FAIR Health, a health care nonprofit that keeps a national database of insurance claims. That includes the cost of routine care before and after the birth (but not tests like ultra sounds or amnio). If you want an epidural (which, let’s be real, many women do), that’s another $2,132 on average. Prices vary considerably depending on where you live. The average cost of a C-Section nationwide is $3,382, plus $1,646 for an epidural, FAIR Health found.

But that’s just for your doctors—not the hospital. In a separate study published in the journal Health Affairs last year, researchers found that the cost of a hospital stay to give birth ranged from $1,189 to $11,986, and that was for what were considered low-risk deliveries.

To be clear, your actual out-of-pocket costs will vary considerably depending on your health insurance policy.

Most people with insurance first have to fulfill a deductible—that is, pay a certain amount out of pocket before insurance covers the bill. On average, employees in traditional PPO family plans need to pay $2,012 as a family or $944 per person to meet their deductible, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

[Aashika]

Originally Posted by sarv_shaktimaan

Get out of here Any links for Canadian immigration?

If you don't mind me asking, how much do you pay monthly for medical insurance premium? I pay like 400 for family, used to pay as high as 1000 per month few years back, before tax that too.

Parking in hospitals is free in America (if you're admitted there, they'll waive the parking fee).. but a regular pregnancy with most insurances will cost at least $1K to $5K, C-section must be higher.

Epidurals alone cost about $2-3K.

Are you KIDDING me?! I pay $110 per MONTH (I pay through my company that is hooked with Manulife Insurance company). I get 80% coverage for medical and dental (including hospitalisation, prescription drugs etc). This $110 a month also includes Long term Disability, Short term illness coverage, accidental death (not life insurance) benefits for funeral worth $20,000, for eye glasses and contacts I get $200 coverage and out of country medical emergency worth $5000.

Since I am paying only for 80%, my husband took 20% at his work. so between the both of us, we are 100% covered. This is for a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids).

Only thing that is not covered for is the ambulance, if we need to call 911.
Epidural, C-section, prescription drugs, ECG, bla bla bla bla everything is covered. At hospital, we also get a little care package for newborns and Mom that include formula (if you opt for breastfeeding and supplementing with formula), they let you have a free breast pump (you need to return it later), diapers, lotions etc. If you are very lucky and fall into the hands of a kind nurse (nurses literally rule the hospitals....lol), she will give you a stash of personal care items that are hospital grade (Believe me, they work so much better than what we get in drug stores).

AND, we also get 1 full year of Maternity leave (with reduced pay but Job and position and pay security). They are pushing for 18 months now. The bill is already approved. In the last 10 years, I never paid even a single penny for drugs or hospitals. There are certain medical conditions that are not covered (rare blood disorders etc)

Go Canada!

EDIT: P.S: We have very high income taxes and also 13% GST/HST.

[sgars]

My first one was born in Apna desh* and the hospitalization etc. was covered by my better half’s insurance. Nothing went out of pocket for hospitalization. My insurance would have covered at least a good part of it, but the need did not arise. The parking was a mess but free the cost before insurance was 50k to 1 l Rs or so.

BTW, looks like desi insurance companies have now become Shabana (autocorrect for Shaana ) and at least something goes out of pocket.


The second one was born in the land of opportunity**.

The costs came to 4-8 K (USD) after insurance. not sure because there were so many bills. The costs before insurance were 50k or so.

BTW, both were C sections.

* a few months after I joined EC
**in the same hospital that Michael Jackson, Victoria Beckham besides others had their babies.