A dog bite four shots (1 Viewer)

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How a bite from a stray dog shows the sick state of U.S. healthcare - LA Times

“It’s obvious that our system is unlike any other health system,” said Uwe Reinhardt, a healthcare economist at Princeton University. “Other systems were set up to care for patients. Ours was set up by the providers — the hospitals and drug companies — for their own benefit."

Royal Angkor International Hospital = $125
Clinic in northern Thailand = $18.50
Torrance Memorial Medical Center (Sunday ER visit) = $5,254.85
Redondo Beach HealthCare Partners medical group = $427

I'm really curious where all the money from that Sunday visit is going.
 
Hospital overhead. But it's a crazy way to get it.

Yeah, but where is that overhead? Admin costs? CEO salaries? Bed pans? Uninsured visitors?

I read an Atlantic article which pointed out that education costs are rising and it is being over looked that there's an ~200% increase in administration.

Also, I get that going on a Sunday is not optimal, but assume that the treatment requires a certain time interval. You cannot convince me that the hospital needed to make >5K from one shot in order to cover costs for treating that patient.
 
The real question is when do we fix this mess?
 
The real question is when do we fix this mess?

I often believe that its too far gone. Thank goodness my medical policy only costs me $50 a month. That's like a $4 an hour pay benefit by today's economy for a single man.
 
I often believe that its too far gone.

It's got to completely collapse at some point, right? When that happens, do we just start from scratch?
 
Not gonna happen. Politicians pockets are lined with money from the insurance companies.
 
It's got to completely collapse at some point, right? When that happens, do we just start from scratch?

You dig a well and plant some seeds. /sarcasm laced with heavy truth.

Please pay attention to history. After all, our tax dollars went to "core" education.
 
It's not going to get better. Every time one party tries to change anything about the healthcare system the other party just complains and grand stands about it without offering any alternative plans for improving the healthcare system. Instead of building toward solutions where different sides of the aisle work together to craft a better solution, we get a watered down version of the idea presented by the first party. No one likes the watered down ideas. It doesn't go far enough for most members of the party that crafted it and the other side doesn't want that party to get credit for proposing anything. So we're stuck here.
 
Not gonna happen. Politicians pockets are lined with money from the insurance companies.

It's not going to get better. Every time one party tries to change anything about the healthcare system the other party just complains and grand stands about it without offering any alternative plans for improving the healthcare system. Instead of building toward solutions where different sides of the aisle work together to craft a better solution, we get a watered down version of the idea presented by the first party. No one likes the watered down ideas. It doesn't go far enough for most members of the party that crafted it and the other side doesn't want that party to get credit for proposing anything. So we're stuck here.

With that attitude of acceptance and defeat of course it won't. You are defeated and giving up. Don't be, rail against the machine like the American ideals require. Point out American exceptionalism isn't so exceptional to brainwashed brethren.

We don't need to go nuclear on this, just need to enlighten those with heads in the sand on this broken system so good ideas are supported rather than howls of 'death panels" scaring us into accepting over priced subpar systems.
 
It's not going to get better. Every time one party tries to change anything about the healthcare system the other party just complains and grand stands about it without offering any alternative plans for improving the healthcare system. Instead of building toward solutions where different sides of the aisle work together to craft a better solution, we get a watered down version of the idea presented by the first party. No one likes the watered down ideas. It doesn't go far enough for most members of the party that crafted it and the other side doesn't want that party to get credit for proposing anything. So we're stuck here.

Maybe parties aren't the ones to fix this?

Healthcare is one of the most government regulated industries in the country, is a mess, and the problem seems to be that we don't have enough government involvement?
 
I haven't read the article, but the US hospital cost has to be the cash billing cost, not the insurance cost. Shouldn't we stop using the cash cost, since in theory everyone should have medical insurance (minus the rare few stuck in between expanded Medicaid that didn't happen in their state and the rebated government option)?

My wife went to the ER due to a flare up of an old back injury (until she could get in with specialist). Now, she has a PPO plan now, so it was $100 Out of pocket. The hospital billed $1270, and the insurance actually paid the $1170 difference.

However, for other proceedures, they often get a major discount.

A few months ago she went to an urgent care center (I forgot what the issue was). It was a Saturday and it's run by a hospital, so I feel they're a bit expensive and encourage her to go elsewhere usually (same cost for us, but trying to think of premiums next year!). She paid $25 for the urgent care. They billed a total of $789, the insurance contract only allowed them to bill for $473.40, and they paid that, minus the 25 we already paid.

She went to her pain management specialist (needs a back injection again) for an office visit. His cash billing price is $383. We pay $25 co pay. The insurance company pays $125.39. So, in total he only got $150, or 39% of his "billing" price.

But my point is that the 'cash price' isn't a good data point to really understand costs.
 
And going off memory, a few years ago when she was on my HDHP/HSA plan and we were responsible for the first $5000 (at the insurance discount rate) before the 80/20 kick in.. I think a normal ER visit (no MRI or stuff) was around $500-800, and we'd normally get a separate $200-300 doctor bill.

That's when we definitely would go to Urgent care (only cost about $150 total) unless it was absolutely necessary.

If you want your issue taken care of immediately, you're going to pay, either by higher OOP costs, or upfront in your premiums.
 

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