MEDICAL BiLLS

This week's "Time" magazine has one of the best (though long) articles that I have ever read called "Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us"written by Steven Brill. Does a great job of explaining the variances from one facility to the next in what we are charged.

Lon,

Thank you for alerting us to this most important article. It surely is a must-read for everyone [healthland.time.com].

Now I finally understand why an ablation is charged at $120,000 in the US while it can be had for $20,000 in Bordeaux. Billing $1,400.00 dollars per hour for nurses and $15.00 for a single Tylenol (acetaminophen) tablet all adds up. Finally it is out in the open – the US health care, or more appropriately sickness care, system is clearly a monumental rip-off. Example: The Cleveland Clinic Foundation is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization; yet it makes an operating profit of $573 million a year and pays its CEO almost $6 million a year. Surely this vast expenditure on health care must result in a significant increase in average life span? Unfortunately not, according to the article the average lifespan in the US is 79 years (with a per capita health care expenditure of over $8,000.00) while the average life span in Japan is 83 years (with a per capita health care expenditure of $4,000.00). What about infant mortality? Surely that must be very low. Again, unfortunately not. The US ranks # 50 in infant mortality, nine spots below Cuba.

Is the system likely to change in a meaningful way anytime soon? Probably not as long as the health care industry continues its lobbying efforts. During the past 12 years this powerful group has spent $5,360,000,000 ($5.36 billion) on lobbying the US Congress. That is $10 million per Congressman and certainly ought to buy a lot of influence.

Hans

Hans my ablation was not 120 K.....it was only $117,000.00

T

And they saved a further $6,000 on mine because I did not require any acetominophen.

How is the medical industry much different than anything else we do collectively?

Having had recent exposure (2012) to the CA healthcare system, I have several conclusions. Medicare pays a small % of what the hospital bills so the bills are raised so they can be settled back down to what they would have been. If you don't have insurance, you're in big trouble. Hopefully, Obamacare gives the doctors incentive for keeping you out of the healthcare system. Doctors may have saved my life but they definitely were impediments to my recovery. I never saw a doctor yet received their bills.

Stroke in CA costs 86K but in any other state costs 40K. I did not have Medicare Part B but luckily the VA accepted my case. A 2003 law called the Millenium Act requires doctors to accept what the VA offers them for services rendered. You have be insured or be destitute. I met a bum in clinic who didn't worry about paying bills. His credit rating was zero but he bought through relatives credit. The ER situation is in crises mode & the insured are paying for it.