June 2011 I doubled over at 10 pm and was rushed to the local hospital; gall stones were the problem and I was admitted. 36 hours later I was discharged after my gall bladder was removed.
The bill came a week later:for my day and a half in the hospital the bill came out to be $35,000. My insurance covered all but $500 of it, but I was outraged. I made an appointment with the head of hospital administration for a line by line accounting of the charges.
He told me, “this will be a meeting short on time and to the point on specifics. It’s very simple: 35-40% of the people who come through these doors have no insurance at all, but under federal law, we must serve them. Payment for goods and services are a separate issue. Of course your pain pills don’t actually cost $75.00; your invoice reflects making up for a portion of the 40% uninsured. We take your bill and jam as much as we can on top of it to pay for those who have no coverage. They are free-riding on your ability to pay and the fact that you are a responsible citizen.
My sister went to see a new doc and did nothing but talk for a bit and she found out that Medicare was billed for a few thousand bucks for stuff that did not happen.