Doctors, Hospitals Nationwide Adding (Non-Covered) Fees to Medical Bills

[nichomachus]

8. I recently went to the hospital for surgery

I had to have a pre-surgical visit. During the visit, I had blood drawn and had a chest xray. The charges for the visit, the nurse who did it, the lab, and the chest xray were all billed by different entities. The operation itself was billed by the hospital and the doctor separately. So, for this one operation, there were six bills generated by five different entities and paid by three entities -- Medicare, my supplement plan, and me.

This is why we need single payer.