Ok, so I'm curious if there is anyone out there who would be knowledgeable enough to explain to me how the heck hospitals can justify the cost and reasoning behind the following:
I'll try to make this as brief as possible.
Emergency room visit, was given 1mg/ml of morphine for the pain I was experiencing. I also was giveen 1 bag of Hydrat IV while I was there for 3 hours. After a battery of blood work testing, Ultrasound and a CAT Scan nothing could be found for the cause of my pain.
Ok, so here is the "reality check". Recieved my bill from the hospital AFTER the insurance paid their portion to the hospital.
First off let me preface by saying that when you receive your invoice from the hospital after charges are paid by insurance and their adjustments are made you get just a final sum of what you owe out of your own pocket. NO itemized bill, no nothing. I had to call and request the itemized bill to see just what the heck they were charging me for that cost $9500 of which I am having to pay $1443 out of my pocket.
My question to someone who may know is how the hell do hospitals get away with charging you for an IV Hydrat drip BY THE HOUR??? Yes, I said by the hour. I got one bag only of IV Hydrat which was hung on a metal rod, not plugged into any sort of monitor, nothing (you've seen them I'm sure) and then have the gall to charge for each hour (the initial charge for IV Single/$221 each additional hour $323.54) that its running into your veins? Come on are you serious? Then there were other charges on there for medication that they say they administered but DID not. I didn't receive any meds other than the one initial morphine shot, nothing else, nothing to take home for pain.
I call the billing department trying to get some explanation for these charges. They told me and I quote "the hospitals take a huge cut from the initial charges already based on their agreements with the insurance companies, you cannot dispute anything other than to audit a specific charge that you say you DID NOT GET but that they included in their billing; the federal government are the regulators and approve of how the hospitals set their pricing". I said are you nuts? It's no wonder people can't afford medical insurance #1 and secondly those that do pay for medical insurance can't even afford that when they get their bills for the remainder of what they owe after their HRA dollars are depleted.
So can anyone out there shed any light on how this can be justified by the hospitals and secondly, does anyone know whether this can be disputed at a higher level of administration?
On a side note, although you get charged for your ER ROOM visit which was to the tune of $2500 that figure does NOT include the actual doctor who looked at you, you get a seperate bill for his services. When you get a test done like a CT Scan and an Ultrasound to the tune of $4500 collectively, you also get a seperate bill from the physician who had to read your results who was there in the hospital already.
Sorry for the long post here...but I am just so tired of American's/Taxpayers getting the shaft over and over and over again everytime we turn around. :bash
Been there.....done that. A trip to the emergency room here in AZ and the bill for an IV and a cat scan plus the attending doctors etc was over $11,000. Totally blew me away........that is about a third of the cost of my weeks stay in the hospital, plus major surgery, plus all the meds etc. I am not sure how all this works, but it sure surprised me when I saw the bill.
One of the reasons the medical profession, at least some of it, is against healthcare reform is that when every one, or nearly everyone, has insurance, they will not be able to charge the uninsured these huge bills, then if putting the patient through bankruptcy doesn't get them the money, they get to write off the inflated amount. My $11,000 bill was reduced to less $3500 by the insurance company.
Its expensive because its an ER. Cost shifting from uninsured, medicaid, and even some medicare. (The gov't sets its own prices lower than everyone else). Don't expect much to change after HC reform. Still many uninsured and much more cost shifting from many new medicaid patients paying about 60%. The HC reform also reduces federal subsidies to hospitals and ERs that currently provide uninsured care, the assumption is that more people will have insurance.
Thanks, Local Historian and Joe...I am doing fine now. But for someone who has only been to an ER 3 times in my entire life and only 1 childbirth and 1 tonsilectomy...going to the ER was quite a shock when I got the itemized bill and I was appalled at how they charge items and if you DO NOT ask for an itemized statement to scrutinize every line item to make sure you are not being overbilled, they will continue to rake us all over the coals when it comes to insurance and your balance owed.
Thanks for listening...still wish there was someone higher I could take this too to find out why/how they can justify these outrageous charges. I think I'll go to the Emergency Clinic on Bowles beside WalMart next time I think they are open 24/7 and can do the same testing etc as the HOSPITALS do.
CX, Good points. I think it would be helpful if there was more consumer info on where to go/costs. Its nearly impossible to get price info in advance, or know where to go. The smaller community centers and urgent care clinics seem to be cheaper than the ER.
If you want to be, press one. If you want not to be, press 2
Republicans are red, democrats are blue, neither of them, gives a flip about you.
Just sharing this info: Pricedoc website is supposed to have zip code search for medical prices. I'll try it out later and see how well it works for Denver. It is new I think. Check it out if interested.
Hope you are recovering well. 
