Unbelievable medical costs!!!!!

[6_Time_Momma]

holy guacamole!!!!! Just got the bill for Garrett's eye surgery!!!

Keep in mind now, the kid was in the OR for about 2 hours total and was in the hospital itself for less than 5 hours.

Total bill= $12,711!!!!!! UNREAL!!!! (That does not include the $235 consult fee from the doctor!)

 

[DoeWDW]

WOW!! That does sound like a bit much!!

My daughter had several eye surgeries. Fortunately we had good insurance. This was back around 1989 / 1990. The bill for her outpatient surgery was around $5000. In-patient surgeries cost more because of staying overnight.

 

[Eeyore1954]

I hope you have insurance.

The charges and fees associated with using an OR are astounding, even for just 2 hours. I had an operation a few years ago and was floored at the bill for the OR -- then the 2-night stay at the hospital was added on and the bill more than doubled. I figured what should I expect when they charge $50 for 2 Tylenol and $112.50 for a disposable gown.

 

[Blondie]

You don't have to tell me! Even though my DS's Endoscopy wasn't as nearly as expensive as Garrett's eye surgery, when you factor in that it was a 15 minute procedure, it's one heck of an expense!

Anesthesia $800.00
Pathology (biopsy) $594
Endoscopy $1,075
Cost to obtain the biopsy $100
Use of medical equipment $500
Consult fee $200

 

[cynsaun]

Ouch!

 

[onecoolmama]

Oh that is aweful

 

[ripleysmom]

When Lucas was in the hospital last year his stay came to about $17,000. The insurance company though had negotiated that price down to about $5,400. We had to pay about $1,000 of that.

 

[macraven]

medical bills can kill you ............worse yet are the prescriptions.
one of my kids has serious medical condition with his brain and the rx alone runs us $9xx. each month, and that's after the insurance.

ouch.........

 

[Arabella Figg 2003]

incredible, isn't it?

 

[Dan Murphy]

Marie, since March, a little over $24,000, all 'out-patient', MRI and biopsies. Expensive, yes. Thankfully, insured.

 

[TLinden16]

We just got a bill for my mom's nine day stay in ICU after suffering a stroke (and then a second one while there). The bill for the stay was over $97,000! We only have to pay for $50.

Just as a sidenote to this, it's frustrating that we got this bill six months after she died. It's tough to see something like that to bring back the memories of visiting her there.

Karen

 

[luvwinnie]

Wow, that does seem high for not even staying overnight! When my mom was in for 9 weeks after her aortic dissection, the HOSPITAL was over $700,000. That does't include the surgeon and all her dr. fees.

I spend over $200 per month in copayments for my meds.

 

[Galahad]

Originally posted by TLinden16
We just got a bill for my mom's nine day stay in ICU after suffering a stroke (and then a second one while there). The bill for the stay was over $97,000! We only have to pay for $50.

Just as a sidenote to this, it's frustrating that we got this bill six months after she died. It's tough to see something like that to bring back the memories of visiting her there.

Karen

That can be so upsetting. I worked in I.T. in a hospital for several years and we had a number of processes we tried to put in place to treat bills sent to the families of patients who had died very carefully.

 

[Pin Wizard]

It's ridiculous! DS was in the hospital 3 days a year ago, and I had to pay them $1,000 out of pocket. Never even saw an EOB from the insurance company!

 

[Snowysmom]

Wow! That is one big medical bill! I thought $1200 for my son to have a birthmark taken off his forehead was bad (not including the cost of the doctor!) Medical costs in this country really need to get under control.

 

[BabyTigger99]

Since being diagnosed with cancer in August 2003, my medical bills would have been about $175,000. Thank God for good insurance through my job. Each time I would have chemo, it ran about $10,000. This also includes a $14,000 stay in the hospital with pneumonia right after the last chemo. I am always amazed when I get a new EOB in the mail, and look to see what I have reached, as far as my lifetime max.

 

[Pembo]

I hear ya Kristie! But what really makes me angry is how much they'll write off. My anesthesia bill was $5900, the "contracted rate" with the insurance was only $800. What really sucks is that before our HMO we would have paid 20% of that $5900! At least now we only owe $200.

 

[luvwinnie]

My mom's itemized bill was amazing...$7 for a box of TISSUES!

 

[Deb in IA]

Originally posted by TLinden16
We just got a bill for my mom's nine day stay in ICU after suffering a stroke (and then a second one while there). The bill for the stay was over $97,000! We only have to pay for $50.

Just as a sidenote to this, it's frustrating that we got this bill six months after she died. It's tough to see something like that to bring back the memories of visiting her there.

Karen

Very sorry about the loss of your mother, Karen.

Our hospital has a similar problem. Some administrative who-haa decided that our billing system needed to be upgraded. So, in all their wisdom, the higher ups decided to purchase a software package that combines billing and scheduling called IDX. Oh, and ours was the FIRST major medical center to pilot this package.

Bottom line: Big problems, major headaches, continuing difficulties. NO BILLS were being sent out at all for collection, even from insurance companies for about 6 months (a computer glich, so we were told)!!! Now the backlog is being addressed, but many third party payor and patients are understandably upset at the untimeliness of their bills.

Of course, all of the administrators and CEO's who made this decision have since conveniently moved on to other places . . .

 

[6_Time_Momma]

I just went and looked at his medical bills from the first year of his life.

$97,000.

Ahhhhh.......but, for that $97,000 we got:

5 days in the NICU after he was born.
10 days in U of M hospital for open heart surgery.
6 days back in U of M due to pneumonia.
1 day outpatient surgery for his eye.
4 days in local hospital for pneumonia.
And
a 3 day stay for croup.

So, all in all, I would say that the $97,000 for the first year was an incredible bargain compared to $13,000 for a 5 hour stay!!!