The top 50 hospitals that gouge patients the most

[dixiegrrrrl]

and look where they are concentrated on the map
and who owns them.

click on graphic for larger view and percentages.

These are the 50 hospitals in the United States with the highest markup of prices over their actual costs. That means that they are charging out-of-network patients and the uninsured, as well as auto and workers’ compensation insurers, more than 10 times the costs allowed by Medicare, according to new research published Monday.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/why-some-hospitals-can-get-away-with-price-gouging-patients-study-finds/2015/06/08/b7f5118c-0aeb-11e5-9e39-0db921c47b93_story.html

[Mnemosyne]

1. Small town hospital ER in NW Pa, I was charged $1400 for a 5 min. visit. He looked in my ears, nose

and mouth. No tests at all. Bad sinus infection, no ins.

[RockaFowler]

2. I see my hospital is on this list

Lawnwood is the place I went where I was there for 5 days and the bill was $195,000

Oh and isn't it interesting the number of hospitals in Florida. I guess they learned from the king crook himself pRick Scott. 2 of the top hospitals are close to Eglin Air Force Base in Ft Walton Beach. Heck almost all of the Florida hospitals are near military bases

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. Fla. is retirement heaven, lots of Medicare and lots of wealthy folks with insurance.

Ya know, if it were not for insurance, we actually could have affordable health care.
Like we did in the late 60's and early 1970's..

My first kid cost 19 cents a pound, in 1966.
We could easily pay for Dr. visits and shots and etc for the kids out of pocket on a blue collar income.

[lpbk2713]

3. I sprained my wrist a few months back.

I wasn't sure if I broke it or not so I went to the local hospital non-critical care ER. It was a Saturday and I must admit I was in and out fairly quickly. But all they did was take three xrays and I spoke to an MD for a few minutes and walked out with a prescription. It came to about three thousand bucks. If I was sure it was only a sprain I wouldn't have bothered.

[nichomachus]

4. I'm surprised our local hospital isn't on the list

About 10 years ago, I had a growth on my vocal cords that the doctor wanted to biopsy. (it was an all clear, thanks for asking).

He did it at the outpatient surgical center at the local hospital. I showed up at 2 p.m. They had me strip to my skivvies, took a BP, and inserted an IV -- although they didn't start it. They wheeled me into the OR, knocked me out, and did god knows what. It took about a half hour. They wheeled me out, woke me up, gave me a cup of ice and a tissue. Then, I got dressed, and was back in the car on the way home at 5 p.m. Total charge -- for the hospital, not the doctor -- was $24,000.

OTOH, a friend of mine was in Spain. His bad back flared up seriously. His friends took him to the ER. They saw him right away. They did xrays and other imaging, gave him shots for pain, and spent five hours doing a workup. They changed his meds, because they said the ones he got in the US were archaic and weren't used any more. They set him up with an appointment for a specialist later in the week. Because he wasn't in their national health plan, he had to pay out of his own pocket. Total charge -- $125.

[DonCoquixote]

6. no surprise

All but one of the facilities are owned by for-profit entities and the largest number of hospitals — 20 — are in Florida. For the most part, researchers said, the hospitals with the highest markups are not in pricey neighborhoods or big cities, where the market might explain the higher prices.

This is the place run by Rick Scott.

[RockaFowler]

7. Yep - Surprise, Surprise, Surprise