High cost of health care

[Warped]

Saturday Feb 23 I had a heart attack working on the GN, one artery 100% blocked (RCA), one 70%. They put a stent in and I walked out of the hospital the following Tuesday. I'm back working on the GN and may be able to drive it to the Nats in May.

Hospital bill - $61K
Ecocardiogram and stress test - $10K
Fully paid company health insurance - Priceless

Get a physical and don't underestimate the value of health insurance.

 

[TexasT]

Great to hear you came out OK.

That is one of the things my dad used to tell me. Ya' better get a job with good insurance. When you get old your parts stop working and you'll need to get em fixed.

 

[galoush]

Thats what they call Fortitude ................or a Buick Nut !

 

[ChavoLC2]

Glad you were able to walk out alive

That's what I do on a daily basis intervene and fix blocked coronary arteries. Glad to hear you're ok fixing RCA's in a Acute myocardial infarction with ST elevation can be fun nothin like hypotension and bradycardia with heart block. . Did they give you a drug coated stent(Taxus or a Cypher)or bare metal ? Your probably taking Plavix(kind of a super asprin)for 3months to a year. Thank God you're okay.. Actually Scrubbed 7 heart caths today out of the 7 ...2 of the pt's needed stents , 2 needed by-pass surgery, 2 were normal, the other had such bad coronary artery disease there was nothing to offer him. Most of the cases were Medicaid/Medicare and they don't reimburse but about 60%, 2 had actual Health insurance , one of the cases was uninsured and they recieved a stent so Hospital eats that. No one is ever denied if they come to the ER having a heart attack/MI we fix them we don't turn no one away.

Thank God like you said for Health Insurance,.. Hospital where I'm employed pays 60% of my monthly premium and I pay $200 per pay period(400 a month) for the Family plan have 3 kids and a wife. I've had a few procedures myself 2 Titanium cage back fusions 50k,1 lamenectomy 16k, 1 Medtronic back pain stimulator 54k, 1 Medtronic Intrathecal med pump 64K


Yep don't underestimate the value of health insurance.

 

[Aztlanahauc]

Company I work for has cancelled their health insurance. Premiums just got to expensive.

 

[S10xGN]

Two years ago I had an ablation procedure done for my Atrial Fibriliation. The bill was $55k. My insurance company ended "negotiating" it down to $4500, of which I paid 10% and they paid 90%. A person w/o insurance would likely have been stuck paying the entire $55k! It's really a shame it works this way...

 

[Warped]

Not sure what kind of stent it is. They have me on Plavix, Lisinipril, Carvedilol, and aspirin. Took a blood test Friday ($423) to test for liver damage before they put me on a statin for Cholesterol. Fortunately we have a drug plan as well.

They had to zap me once at Harris Southwest before they could put me on a helicopter for transport to the cardiac unit at Harris Downtown where did everything. They zapped me 8 times there. The good news is when they looked at the echocardiagram 5 weeks after the heart attack you couldn't even tell I had a heart attack.

Good thing I had been working out at the Y for a year before the heart attack. I never had any symptoms so you guys need to watch out. Well I'm back to working out at the Y everyday, treadmill only, the doc said no weights, and I've got the front suspension hung and the new gas tank in. Still lots to do before the Nats but I'm making sure I don't over do it. Don't want to press my luck.

 

[faster]

The insurance companies have now boxed the doctors into a corner and if you don't have full coverage you're as good as dead.

My insurance company will pay for all the testing my doctor calls for "unless" it is necessary for a procedure not covered then they won't. I need a small outpatient procedure that my insurance won't cover that costs $1200.00-1500.00. I say okay I'll pay for it. The hospital says we won't do it unless you have all these tests we now have to require for our insurance that total $8500.00-10,000.00 to get the $1200.00-1500.00 surgery.

So I can't get this minor thing fixed unless I have the tests my insurance would cover if the procedure was covered. This has become this huge catch-22 and I can't get a doctor to have this minor muscle tear fixed.

This country is out of control and I can't wait till we collapse so I can lead one of the revolutionary brigades.

Mikey

 

[Gothmog]

they jack up the bills for ins companies in relation to what they would charge normally.

 

[bobc455]

Two years ago I had an ablation procedure done for my Atrial Fibriliation. The bill was $55k. My insurance company ended "negotiating" it down to $4500, of which I paid 10% and they paid 90%. A person w/o insurance would likely have been stuck paying the entire $55k!

I'm still up in the air on this. On one hand, the insurance companies help reduce their prices by "volume discounts". On the other hand, is it right for one individual to be charged a completely different price than a company for the same purchase?

Is government price regulation of health care the answer? I hope not, as I'm not a fan of government regulating anything. But I also know that true capitalism depends on equal ability of different people to purchase the same good at the same price. If one person has the ability to purchase a heart operation for one price ($4500), should another individual also be entitled to purchase it for the same price? Or should a volume-purchase of heart operations entitle someone to a 90% discount? Should a volume-purchase of heart operations be considered legal, since as an individual I only have one heart, or does this violate the principle of equal access?

I'm still wrestling this all over, but my inclination is to believe that everyone should be able to purchase the service (heart operation) at the same price. Of course the downside is that insurance costs would increase, since the hospitals would now have lower profit margins on sales to individuals...

-Bob C.

 

[blackshoebox]

I'm still up in the air on this. On one hand, the insurance companies help reduce their prices by "volume discounts". On the other hand, is it right for one individual to be charged a completely different price than a company for the same purchase?

Is government price regulation of health care the answer? I hope not, as I'm not a fan of government regulating anything. But I also know that true capitalism depends on equal ability of different people to purchase the same good at the same price. If one person has the ability to purchase a heart operation for one price ($4500), should another individual also be entitled to purchase it for the same price? Or should a volume-purchase of heart operations entitle someone to a 90% discount? Should a volume-purchase of heart operations be considered legal, since as an individual I only have one heart, or does this violate the principle of equal access?

I'm still wrestling this all over, but my inclination is to believe that everyone should be able to purchase the service (heart operation) at the same price. Of course the downside is that insurance costs would increase, since the hospitals would now have lower profit margins on sales to individuals...

-Bob C.

A similar scenario plays out in dealerships with customers that have factory warrenty or extended warrenties on cars. The customer will pay more for parts/labor then a manufacture or extended warrenty will pay in some circumstances.

I think the problem with health care and insurance in this country and the reason no one is looking at why it is some expensive is, there is way to much income for certain individuals to lose. If something was actually done to regulate it. JMO.

Atleast the postee is alive and kicking!!

 

[ChavoLC2]

Not sure what kind of stent it is. They have me on Plavix, Lisinipril, Carvedilol, and aspirin. Took a blood test Friday ($423) to test for liver damage before they put me on a statin for Cholesterol. Fortunately we have a drug plan as well.

They had to zap me once at Harris Southwest before they could put me on a helicopter for transport to the cardiac unit at Harris Downtown where did everything. They zapped me 8 times there. The good news is when they looked at the echocardiagram 5 weeks after the heart attack you couldn't even tell I had a heart attack.

Good thing I had been working out at the Y for a year before the heart attack. I never had any symptoms so you guys need to watch out. Well I'm back to working out at the Y everyday, treadmill only, the doc said no weights, and I've got the front suspension hung and the new gas tank in. Still lots to do before the Nats but I'm making sure I don't over do it. Don't want to press my luck.

Wow they had to stirfry/defibrillate you 9 x's your a Blessed man. It's great to hear your myocardium/muscle is normal. Glad to hear they didn't saddle a dead horse. (what I call putting a stent in a vessel that supplies blood to a area of the heart that doesn't get restored but is dead). During an MI/heart attack the muscle gets stunned(isn't contracting/moving) from the ischemic event and once blood flow is restored to that area alot of times if done quickly the muscle comes back to normal. Sounds like they got you to a cath lab pretty quick and thats the key to salvaging myocardium. Remember the old saying "time is money" well during a heart attack time is muscle.

 

[ncmalko1]

We can't have free health coverage. Sure millions will die but more importantly we gotta keep the cash flowing! I mean really what is more important?? A million middle class lives or a few rich people staying rich. When in doubt support the few rich... right Republicans!

 

[craggar]

Everyone up here is covered no matter what. There are delays for certain procedures like MRI's and some surgery's but it will get done. If you have the money to pay for it you can get it done sooner then get your money back from the Gov.