It was a cold, humid, rainy stockdunkel night and I was extremely distressed-- well, it wasn't a nice hot, night really although rainy in Florida but I was shocked.
My wife was in pain and it had bearable with two days that had started the flashing pains in the upper left side of your face and was happily over the counter medication.
But I was on the brink of despair and so security was you, especially because when former doctor I had it was trigeminal neuralgia almost 100%.
In abundance my doubts. What happens if it was, a tumor or a vascular compression etc., etc.-I would never forgive me.
Have to reluctantly, we go to the dreaded "emergency room" and go through the routine questions you insurance?The answer was a definitive "no", "I can't afford insurance".Sind you in pain and if so tell me in a scale of 1 to 10 how much? My wife was in pain, but just in case, we would not be ignored, you answered a loud "ten".
Then the long period of time to wait, what was really quite reasonable-about an hour, and her name was by a nice lady who showed us that the way to a private cabin called perfectly equipped for medical advice. A few more minutes and blood was drawn, an I, V catheter inserted just in case.
Was building of tension and enters the emergency doctor and he was welcomed with a foreign accent, nice and warm and asked, as he and so on might help.I explained that I was a former MD and I had an idea of what happens war.Let's hear it he said and I said confidently "Trigeminal" he nodded, as if agree.
"You need a CAT SCAN and some medication;"He said "and left the room.Even if time is changed in this setting, I am positive that the doctor visit including survey and a quick physical no more than a quarter of an hour was nahm.Dann CAT SCAN, an another 10 minutes, and it.Last but not least were we fully escorted to the observation room, of sick patients.
My income dependent objects, etc. inquired after waiting for about 45 minutes any lady from the Finance Department.Everything so far, so good, except that you bluntly informed us that the Bill was $3560 and that we had some options to a discount to get.
At this point immediately I also had a headache and asked someone to clarify my finances and explain that I don't have that kind of money to sprechen.Wir were taken to a financial advisor at about midnight and after haggling "I really mean begging" I had to sign an agreement to pay about $300 per month for a Jahr.Ich just could not take it anymore and signed, got the papers and links.
The story has a beautiful ends because we after about two weeks and a lot of calls to the hospital still returned ' begging "and a miracle geschah.Unter was charitable reasons our $3500-deleted account to NULL."
I thanked once and again the consultant, but I was also individual account of the radiologist relief would receive more doctor and laboratory for around $1500 and if deemed necessary, could ask for a discount and maybe even a charitable waiving informed.
The Bills in the roles as follows:
Hospital services ER accounts: 3560.68
Broken down as follows:
Brain CAT scan: $1802 (with health insurance: $285)
LAB: $322 (with health insurance: $152)
MEDS: 1.68 (1 carbamazepine tablet costs $0.12 without health insurance)
LEVEL 4 not: $1435 (with health insurance: $2,363 price for an emergency department visit is.)(No accommodation includes imaging studies such as X-rays, CT or MRI)
Invoice provided separately about two weeks after:
Emergency doctor: $784 (with health insurance: $211).
This is roughly one hour $3136, with account being taken of the ER doctor took around 15 minutes to question and my wife would be untersucht.Selbst Bill Gates his eyebrows this hourly income increase.
Radiology diagnostic: $210.14 (with health insurance: I really don't know)
Laboratory Diagnostics: until today I have not received.
All numbers are the ridiculous price gap between without insurance (retail) and insurance (wholesale) veranschaulichen.Aber were talking about people, not DVD player, aren't we?
I came out recently by the million dollar question: why hospitals such outrageous fees not insured for free? the answer is very simple "because you can", and why can't you? for health insurance rock bottom prices before the fact negotiate you don't, that bleeding in the emergency room.
But the uninsured less to pay because you can afford to pay for health insurance? this statement makes sense, but in reality these poor, wretched souls triple pay or more from the normal price for a particular test or service.
The way I see it, it is applied a "catch 22" too large, and I really mean big business where some companies in a given year its CEO $102 million in compensation paid.
How is this sound for a fact:
"41.2 Million Americans who don't have health insurance to astronomical healthcare out of pocket to pay bills" and "for the years 2003 and 2004, just over 50 percent of all personal bankrupt were the result of medical debt by those with health insurance".
"Just to it rounding up and stir some controversy, I remember Michael Moors ran the film"Sicko"where an American patients lost two finger in an accident and had to" choose to according to the humongous have transplanted "fees in tens of thousands of dollars.""Ring or"?
Arturo Meneses
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