Mergath Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 I just don't understand how hospitals can charge the prices they do. My dh had to leave his night shift to go to the ER a few weeks ago because he was having an asthma attack and horrible chest pain, and his rescue inhaler wasn't doing much. (And of course this always happens at night, never at lunchtime or something when he could go to the clinic. :001_rolleyes: ) Anyway, because of the chest pain, they ran some blood tests to make sure his heart was okay. (It was fine, btw.) We got the bill today with the breakdown of all the charges, and in the lab breakdown section they charged $31 for an alcohol wipe!!! The other charges were nearly as crazy, but this is the one that really made my jaw drop. Thankfully, his insurance covered something like three-quarters of the bill. That just boggles my mind, though. How in the world can they justify charging $31 for an alcohol wipe? I'm tempted to call them and try to get them to explain it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 My favorite was the 43 dollar bandaid for DH. It was a normal sized bandaid. Medical costs they charge are ridicious. FYI- you can call and argue the price down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 Our local ER charged us 1000.00 to walk in the door on a holiday weekend a few years ago. That was before any treatment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted December 18, 2013 Author Share Posted December 18, 2013 My favorite was the 43 dollar bandaid for DH. It was a normal sized bandaid. Medical costs they charge are ridicious. FYI- you can call and argue the price down. That's nuts. :scared: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann.without.an.e Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 I know, I had a friend who joked about taking her own supplies when she gave birth. "They aren't going to charge me $30 per tylenol" was her theory. hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted December 18, 2013 Author Share Posted December 18, 2013 Our local ER charged us 1000.00 to walk in the door on a holiday weekend a few years ago. That was before any treatment. Oh my gosh! That's insane. Dh's walking-in-the-door charge was only $650. Which is still nuts. And, of course, doesn't include the charge for having a doctor walk in the room with him (around $450) or the blood tests (nearly $800 total) or the umpteen other things. After I showed dh the bill today, he looked at me and said, "That's it. We're sending you to medical school." :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted December 18, 2013 Author Share Posted December 18, 2013 I know, I had a friend who joked about taking her own supplies when she gave birth. "They aren't going to charge me $30 per tylenol" was her theory. hehe Lol, I was just thinking that next time one of us has to go to the hospital, I'm going to be sure to bring a bag of alcohol swabs and a box of bandaids. Probably save us hundreds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto10blessings Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 And I thought it was bad when they charged me $16 for 2 ibuprofens. I've brought my own for every other birth since! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatHomeschoolDad Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 They high-ball because they'll get a little less than half from insurance. You're also paying a percentage for every uninsured ER case. You're also paying for docs not on salary, but who work on fee-for-service. Prob a list of other things endemic to the current system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 Supposedly it is because: 1. They know the price will be negotiated down by the insurance company 2. They have to make up for all the people who don't have insurance, and can't or won't pay It's almost like the store who prices something at $100 so it can mark it on sale for $50. The other reason is because.....they can. There are some people who actually pay it, who don't have the time or the knowledge to fight about it. And no one holds them accountable. It's the free market system. They can price anything at whatever price they want. Even though there are SO MANY reasons why health care doesn't operate (ha - operate) like a free market, they still get to price it like one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatHomeschoolDad Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 Oh, and don't forget liability / malpractice premiums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 The nurse pressed all of the pads and supplies in my recovery room on us when we left. She said that they billed for anything like that that was in my room and they would be throwing it out since they couldn't give it to the next person. I was like what the whatttity what? The bill was extremely high. C-section and 1 week stay in NICU. Our insurance paid most of it, we paid a $200 co-pay and the rest magically went away because the insurance only pays a contracted amount and that is all the hospital gets. I must admit I didn't feel guilty when I realized we'd accidentally taken one of their baby blankets. Those pads should have been made of gold for what they cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooCow Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 I know, I had a friend who joked about taking her own supplies when she gave birth. "They aren't going to charge me $30 per tylenol" was her theory. heheHa! I did this when I had my hysterectomy. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisB Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 ... I was like what the whatttity what?... LOVE this line!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyThreeSons Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 That just boggles my mind, though. How in the world can they justify charging $31 for an alcohol wipe? I'm tempted to call them and try to get them to explain it. A few years ago, my dh split his head open while tubing on a river. He needed five staples. The ER bill was outrageous! He did get a tetanus shot, but there were no X-rays, labs, other medications, etc. I insisted on seeing an itemized bill. The biggest line item was for "surgical procedure" to the tune of a couple of thousand dollars. Upon further investigation, I found that they were charging for a surgical procedure done to lance and drain an abscessed scr*t*m. YIKES!! I told the hospital we weren't paying our portion until we had a corrected bill, and I notified dh's insurance (Medicare) that they should dispute the charge. I never heard anything back from either the hospital or Medicare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatHomeschoolDad Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 And of course, then there's the whole nasty practice of balance-billing, which partly relies on consumers not knowing their state statutes. I've quoted legislation paragraph and line numbers to phone reps and that is a really quick way to end a call! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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