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My Grandmother of 100 broke her shoulder about two years back and the downtime forced here into a wheelchair.... she was billed about $1000 for the chair paid for by insurance. Same chair was available online for $150. Fortunately I was able to find one on CL slightly used that retailed for $1600 cash, I was able to get it for $200. Difference was night and day.
There is overweight lady that often drives up and down the street out front in her electric wheel chair undoubtedly paid for by insurance/medicare/medicaid. She's with what I would assume was her husband one day and they are switching back and forth using the wheelchair.... thought I'd seen it all until the day she was pushing it through the snow. I offered her a ride, she politely declined and kept on pushing it up the street.
Why do hearing aids cost $1000? I mean really....
Last edited by thecoalman; 01-13-2019 at 05:42 AM..
Here's another idea: if the ER determines that a patient without insurance is not a true emergency, they get sent to an urgent care facility. It irks me no end that I have to go to an inconvenient UC facility (and pay for it) while illegal immigrants and poor people get top-notch care for minor issues free-of-charge.
My Grandmother of 100 broke her shoulder about two years back and the downtime forced here into a wheelchair.... she was billed about $1000 for the chair paid for by insurance. Same chair was available online for $150. Fortunatley I was able to find used one on CL slightly used that retailed for $1600 cash, I was able to get it for $200. Difference was night and day.
There is overweight lady that often drives up and down the street out front in her electric wheel chair undoubtedly paid for by insurance/medicare/medicaid. She's with what I would assume was her husband one day and they are switching back and forth using the wheelchair.... thought I'd seen it all until the day she was pushing it through the snow. I offered her a ride, she politely declined and kept on pushing it up the street.
I have met many seniors on Medicare who have declared bankruptcy, maxed out their CC's, or homeless because of medical bills. They all have/had Medicare and were subject only to the copays. How is this possible? Simple, medical facilities are playing games with peoples lives in order to maximize the amount they can charge Medicare. Unfortunately, Medicare insured people are still responsible for copays and they can quickly add up.
There is also advantage plan insurers but they too play the money game. One of the methods is in-network or out-of-network. This can be the difference of a copay or footing the entire bill by oneself.
One person I know had prostate cancer and was treated via radiology. He told me he got a bill from the radiologist for $16,000. I told him I thought Medicare paid most of the cost. He told me that was after Medicare paid.
Another person was admitted to a hospital repeatedly over a two month period with a $300 daily copay for up to five days. The hospital admitted him many times and always discharged him within five days. In that two month period his copays amounted to over $5000. After each discharge he was invited to treated by the hospital's continuing care department that carried a hefty copay for each treatment.
If you are lucky enough to reach old age. It is almost a sure thing that the money you accumulated throughout your life will be spent on medical care and you will die penny-less and probably in debt. Some of the debt may be passed onto remaining family members.
The only system that will prevent this manipulation by medical providers and insurance companies is a single payer system. i.e., Medicare for all.
Here's another idea: if the ER determines that a patient without insurance is not a true emergency, they get sent to an urgent care facility.
That is not going to happen. The ER is required to accept anybody who comes in, a UC facility is not. What should happen is that each ER should have a UC part of it that will accept anyone.
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It irks me no end that I have to go to an inconvenient UC facility (and pay for it) while illegal immigrants and poor people get top-notch care for minor issues free-of-charge.
It doesn't bother me that poor people are getting health care for free, but it does bother me that they are getting it through an ER. That is horribly inefficient.
Here's another idea: if the ER determines that a patient without insurance is not a true emergency, they get sent to an urgent care facility. It irks me no end that I have to go to an inconvenient UC facility (and pay for it) while illegal immigrants and poor people get top-notch care for minor issues free-of-charge.
Violates the laws of economics. FAIL. Why would a hospital turn down business?
My doctor has a direct primary care practice. Here’s how it works:
Each patient pays a fee ($60 per adult) each month. You start off with a yearly contract and then after that you can go month to month. You get 25 visits per year for that. It includes strep/flu tests, ekg, stitches, mole biopsies, whatever you’d go to a family dr or urgent care for. They do not accept any insurance so all decisions are made by the patient and dr, that’s it. He has some deals with imaging centers, blood labs, physical therapists, and a few specialists so patients can get those services inexpensively. For example, a routine blood panel is usually 300-something at our local lab but it’s $45 if you are a patient at this practice. Or you can use the insurance you have at the lab, whichever is less out of pocket.
We have a high deductible plan for major stuff. But if it didn’t have to include coverage for flu shots and checkups, that would be much cheaper each month. Ideally, direct primary care would be a common option. For a family of 4, we pay $155/month for the primary care doc. Oh, also? He spends 20-30 minutes, sometimes longer, with the patient. There’s no overbooking. If you’re sick, you get seen that day.
Its outrageous that on a per person basis the US spends double what UK or other developed nations. Despite this we still have 30 million uninsured americans. I know americans are afraid of socialism, but I'm looking for honest suggestions or are we doomed? https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/...-amount-health
Many of the uninsured don't want insurance OR if they went to an emergency room they would be signed up for Medicaid or Medicare.
Why are you against allowing the free market to work when it always has? We know for fact that costs go down and quality goes up in the free market.
It doesn't bother me that poor people are getting health care for free, but it does bother me that they are getting it through an ER. That is horribly inefficient.
It DOES bother me when lower-middle class people cannot afford the health care that the poor are getting for free, courtesy of the former's taxes.
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