"My sister received her bill for the time her husband spent in the hospital with COVID

[soothsayer]

Link to tweet

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Link to tweet

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Kurt "Mask Up, Vote Early" Eichenwald
@kurteichenwald
·
Oct 24, 2020
My sister received her bill for the time her husband spent in the hospital with COVID, including almost two weeks in the ICU until he died. Total amount due: $1,000,000.

Kurt "Mask Up, Vote Early" Eichenwald
@kurteichenwald
...I wish I could direct this bill to the fucking anti-maskers who in their goddamn selfishness are killing, harming and hospitalizing so many people.

...people are asking how she'll to pay. While Im not sure if this is possible, she tells me this is portion NOT covered by insurance, & that full cost was more. However, she called insurance company & said "Your president said this is supposed to cost nothing. So I'm not paying."

[Sherman A1]

1. Pay nothing

and file endless appeals with the insurance company.

[mucifer]

2. So trump and repubs won't send money to cities. So hospitals will go under from their evil ways It's

all horrific.

People can't pay and shouldn't. Hospitals don't have endless amounts of money.

This could have been avoided.

Pure evil.

[magicarpet]

3. What a slap in the face for that poor woman,.. like she has not suffered enough.

[FM123]

4. This poor family.

To go through what they did, lose their loved one in the process then be assaulted with a bill like this. Trump has blood on his hands.

[Evolve Dammit]

5. "health care" costs. Number one cause of bankruptcy. Obscene.

[liberal N proud]

6. More bleeding of money to the rich

The rich owners of these hospitals.

I had surgery in July with an overnight stay, the bill was almost $100k

[Illumination]

7. .So what's the message here? Don't go to the hospital?...

[Chainfire]

8. The hospital will sell the debt

to collections companies. They will hound her day and night. They will sue her and attach anything that the law allows. That is the for profit health care industry in our country.

[Katinfl]

9. I have been wondering what is going to happen

When these bills start coming in. You know they have to be outrageous even with insurance. How are people supposed to pay? What if they don’t even have insurance? Probably don’t have jobs now either. how are the insurance companies going to pay the claims? they will pass the cost on to others in the form of much higher premiums. I have been asking myself these questions from the beginning of this nightmare and no one seems to know the answer. I have not heard anyone, not trump or Biden, even mention the fallout of this pandemic. To add to the equation, what happens when/if we lose the ACA? We will only have a chance of coming out of this if Biden is elected. I cannot even begin to think about the alternative.

[bucolic_frolic]

10. I've heard of the $5 a month plan

and did research medical bankruptcy for a friend a few years ago.

If I become sick it's sure time to max out IRA contributions for the year. Those are often unassailable in most circumstances.

[durablend]

16. If you're talking about

Paying the hospital $5 a month to keep it from going to collections, that doesn't work in many cases. They're still send it to collections and claim you didn't work out a payment plan with them.

[Bengus81]

11. What is the "part" not covered by insurance?

She says they have insurance, this needs to really be investigated. I've never heard of a $1M deductible.

[Liberal In Texas]

21. I was wondering that too, what kind of ins. is so bad you'd get this kiind of bill?

I guess is possible it's one of those junk policies that Dumpy signed an EO to allow.

Then there's "out of network" which is another one of their rackets. But it's hard to believe it still would have been that much.

[Marthe48]

26. The insurance my husband had through his work

had a catastrophic illness limit a long time ago. But I think the law changed and either raised the limit or took it off.

My husband had cancer after he started Medicare. Ten months of treatment cost over $225,000.00 and he died anyway. Our out-of-pocket was minimal.

My older brother was in a vehicular accident in 2001 and spent his last 7 months in ICU or PICU, paralyzed from the neck down. He was 54 when the accident happened, and had no assets, so his care was paid by Medicaid. His care was over 500,000.00 and he died in 2002.

[Bengus81]

32. Yeah...I think that the ACA did away with those ridiculous "caps"

Which I thought were put in place when Bush.IDIOT was in office,can't remember. I'd really like to see all the details of this story.

[Bettie]

12. The US Healthcare system is nothing more than a conveyer to move

money from those who can't afford it to those who don't need it.

The workers at the hospitals are doing their best to give care.

The people who own the hospitals are doing their best to suck every last penny out of patients and their families. Health insurance companies are the conduits for that.

Anti maskers are idiots, viscous idiots who don't care if their actions kill people.

[WyattKansas]

34. It's Vulture Capitalism and the cruelest thing the United States has done to it's people.

The reason it has gotten so bad is because the Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Insurance Industries are on Wall Street allowed to extort their 'free market' scam on everyone just to keep their numbers inflated and padded for those making a fortune on them. Do I blame the workers in these industries, no because they do truly want to help for the right reasons and have their hands tied by the same system.

I have lived with and endured medical and disability problems my entire adult life to the point where that is exactly where my alleged financial portfolio went to pay and invest for others. I want everyone who made ill gotten gains* off of this Hydra-Care and those who made it possible to endure misery, pain, ruin, and hardship for eternity, which would still not make up for the suffering they have forced onto others. Hell has no fury compared to the evil misery I would inflict on all those responsible for this Hydra-Care fraud.

* Those with financial portfolios are damn fools for not seeing that their gains means it is probable that their gain is causing misery and destruction for others closer to them than they think, which they could not wish on another themselves. Yet they push for even more, because that is the nature of capitalism and their worship of Mammon in their illusion that capitalism makes everything fair and better... It does not and becomes Vulture Capitalism that exploits misery.

[Bettie]

35. Yep

Remember when hospitals were non-profit? Now, they are all owned by huge holding companies which require ever increasing profits no matter what the situation is.

Profit over people is especially dangerous when people's health is on the line.

I've been fortunate to be very healthy my whole life, except for one life-threatening situation following my last child's birth.

I believe with all my heart that we NEED single payer here in the US.

Insurance companies don't deliver care, they stand as an actual death panel between people and their doctors.

[WyattKansas]

36. What is even more miserable with the way our medical system is set up...

Last edited Mon Oct 26, 2020, 12:19 PM - Edit history (1)

Is that 'profit' and 'profit margins' are always placed first in preferred 'treatment' and logically over cure. There is no way that the present system can honestly say that they have not invested a lot more money in devising ways to make profits over actually curing and/or resolving medical problems, because they have a 'golden goose' that keeps giving to the system we have. Everything is set up that way to eliminate any individual or group from threatening that 'profit margin' the death merchant system is set up. When was the last time anything was cured that effects millions over 'treatment plans' by the system that just keep boosting profits for it? Until everyone sees that permanent solutions over 'treatments' are required, then the medical and pharmaceutical industries will never progress and advance the quality of care for people... Modern and allegedly 'improved' treatment is not advancement and still does not resolve the fundamental problem for patients/people. And I refuse to accept alleged advancement or progress that fails that basic test.

Sorry for getting on the soapbox, but it would be interesting to see exactly how much progress has been restrained by capitalism keeping studies, research, investment, knowledge, and cures/resolutions shackled for the sake of capitalism being the ruling decider. Just look at what the other industries have done to keep the truth from being known for the sake of profits and capitalism. It would also be interesting to publish all patents for free to all to resolve today's urgent problems, since Powers That Be chose to sit on them and do nothing with them. That is not conspiracy, that is just a very well known behavior of the human species.

[Bettie]

37. Good to talk to someone who sees the same things I do.

I hate the current system and am mystified by people who think that care would be worse or they wouldn't be able to see the same doctors under a nationwide, single payer plan.

All that would go away would be the profit motive and all the doctors (except a few who would be concierge doctors for wealthy people) would be IN the network.

[tulipsandroses]

13. Meanwhile, mr I pay no taxes gets free "socialized" healthcare - send him the bill

Damn shame

[AllaN01Bear]

17. and these idiots drag their feet on obama care , esp with this new poss incoming justice .

too expensive they scream. but they can pay for all the high tech bang , bangs they want.

[58Sunliner]

14. How awful. This why the house I live in is in an LLC.

It is relatively cheap to do. Costs 75.00 each year for the state registry.

[PatrickforO]

15. Good. FUCK these greed head asshole insurance companies.

THIS is why the profit motive needs to be removed from healthcare.

This is why we need Medicare for all Americans that is not tied to employment.

This is why all of us should be taxed for healthcare, and supplemental insurance should be optional on top of a basic package.

NO ONE SHOULD EVER have to go bankrupt because they get sick.

FUCK these pieces of Wall Street shit.

[SheltieLover]

18. So is this why chumputin is determined to infect everyone?

Another component of putin's plan to destroy our country?

People with collections on their credit cannot get jobs, buy houses, etc!

[world wide wally]

19. How's your Supreme Court Case going, Mitch?

People that vote for him are every bit as evil as he is.
Dumbfucks

[Claire Oh Nette]

20. five dollars...

Keep it out of collections by paying $5 a month.

Hospitals will write down 70% of costs. Had a heart attack and ICD/pacemaker installedwith no insurance. $375,000.

Charity care application and sorry, we can't afford that.

$5 a month keeps it from ever going to collections.

Of course, all COVID treatment ought to be paid by the federal government since their fuck ups caused this catastrophe.

[yaesu]

30. I did this years ago after an E room visit but now it goes right into collections, you get

hounded by collections agencies & it F's up your credit. Some hospitals will work with you as far as payment plans but it seems are protections have dwindled away.

[Rebl2]

22. We have federal

Blue Cross Blue Shield. They say we will not have to pay anything if we end up in the hospital with Covid, but I don’t trust that. Although after a certain amount catastrophic coverage kicks in. So maybe that is why they tell us this. What has happened to this woman is so wrong and hope someone can help her fight this. She’s right in saying to the insurance company YOUR president said it should cost me nothing.

[packman]

23. Curious - Did that 1Mill include a helicopter ride to the hospital?

Sorry for your loss

[Orangepeel]

24. I thought under ACA, all plans had an annual out of pocket maximum

[Lonestarblue]

25. The first bill Democrats need to pass on January 21 is to lower the age for Medicare.

That bill needs to be teed already passed in the House and Senate, a good possibility if Dems retake a Senate majority. Biden has already said he favors lowering the age to 60. Given the number of people out of work and with no insurance now, the age should be 50. Once the Medicare system has had enough time to get the new enrollees processed, lower the age to 40 or 45.

If Dems retake the Senate, I suspect they’ll spend November 4 through January 20 passing a huge number of bills, including all those McConnell has been sitting on for the past two years.

[Volaris]

39. Yep. Just pass it all as an omnibus bill, and send it to the senate for a single vote.

Agree on lowering the age to 60.
Between 20 and 60, let people buy into it IF THEY WANT, on a monthly tax increase on top of what were already required to pay (A PREMIUM).

We can 'backdoor' the Public Option if were crafty about it, and NOW would be the time, if there ever was one.

[jaxexpat]

27. Does anyone need more evidence to throw their total support to single payer health care?

It was never about:
I don't want the government between me and my doctor
I want the physician of my choice
insurance companies and hospitals will go broke, they need to make money too
we have the best health care in the world
government can't do anything right
single payer will cause the emergency rooms to overflow
sick people just need to live healthier lives
my employer pays for mine, get a job
socialism is evil, it can't ever work and will ruin the country
countries with government health care pay all their wages to taxes
Canadians hate their health care, that's why they all come to the US for treatment

Those are just some of the lies we've come to anticipate when the subject is discussed.
The only reason this country doesn't have single payer health care is because, if that were the case, the health care system could NEVER again send out a ridiculous invoice like that without prosecution for terroristic threatening. Or openly use multiple tiers of pricing for insured's VS un-insured's. Or do all this with full knowledge that they'll never see that invoice paid yet it will force the recipient's life into perpetual unpaid debt, living on the edge of lawlessness and social ostracization. Because everybody in the US knows the most important thing in their life, the thing that is their only path to security of any kind, is their bank balance.

[Bettie]

38. And all of that messaging is by insurance companies

and the rich people behind them don't want to lose their obscene profits.

Plus, they get to go to bed at night knowing they killed some people every day!

[BKDem]

28. $1,000,000. A nice round number. Doesn't sound made-up at all.

Or maybe the anesthesiologists out of network.

[yaesu]

29. people intentionally infecting others with a deadly virus are terrorists. nt

[LizBeth]

31. I was told just the other day that if I had insurance, I would not have to pay a covid bill.

It would be nice to know the reality of this.

[Midnight Writer]

33. She needs to consult somebody. My sister used to work for a non-profit that advised folks.

She says NEVER pay the first bill in a case like this.

Appeal to the hospital, appeal to the insurance company.

Consult with somebody who has experience with these things.