Even With Insurance, Hospital Stay Can Cost a Million

[RedEarth]

Soaring health costs are burdening many Americans with massive medical bills, and a few, like Jim Dawson, are left with a million-dollar tab — even though they have health insurance, the WSJ reports.

Part of the problem is that insurance caps — the maximum amount of a patient’s medical bill insurers will pay — haven’t been keeping pace with rising costs. The story says the average cap is $1 million per person, the same as it was in the 1970s.

Dawson’s cap was $1.5 million but after a staph infection spread throughout his body, he was still stuck with a $1.2 million bill from California Pacific Medical Center. He and his wife were outraged to learn about the hospital’s marking up of items.

“For instance, CPMC charged Mr. Dawson $791 for stockings designed to improve blood circulation,” the story says. “The same pair can be purchased on the Internet for as little as $12.”

Even more perplexing was the fact the Dawsons were told it would cost $1,030 just to get a copy of Jim Dawson’s medical records. The medical center was nice enough to send a letter — free of charge — seeking donations to the hospital.

Dawson’s story does have a happy ending, sort of. After the hospital was contacted by the WSJ, CPMC called the Dawsons to say they qualified for financial assistance under the hospital’s charity-care policy and wrote off his entire bill.

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2007/11/29/even-with-insurance-hospital-stay-can-cost-a-million/

[walldude]

1. Until profit is removed or at the least regulated

in the health care industry, it will never get better.

[Benhurst]

2. Single-payer universal health care is the only solution. Democratic candidates?

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. Fraud and extortion.

I remember when they were referred to by the quaint word "crime".

Good times. Good times.

[Wapsie B]

4. There are so many things wrong with the healthcare system we have right now

that it would be hard to cover without writing a book. Administrative costs, top-heavy management (too many MBA's/MSN's as opposed to care-giving staff)is the elephant in the room people seem determined to ignore.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. My son had a medical emergency and had no insurance.

He cut off a finger and half his thumb in 2000 when he was 21. His hospital bill was $25,000. The day he was released from the hospital, we went into the business office to discuss paying the bill and they told us not to pay a dime. And about a month later, he got a call from the hospital telling him a charitable foundation had paid his bill.

My question then still remains: if a hospital can this easily find charity money to pay bills for the noninsured, then why not work to guarantee coverage for ALL so charitable foundations can focus on curing diseases and supporting the sick?