Yes, you read that headline, from the Sacramento Bee, right.
The University of California Davis Medical Center in Sacramento sent a $29,186.50 bill to the grieving parents of 23-year-old Scott Hawkins, a Sacramento college student senselessly beaten to death in his dorm room 10 days earlier.
Need more evidence of the inhumanity of our broken healthcare system?
There's more.
If the UC bean counters had not piled on enough, the bill was accompanied by:
a form letter addressed "Dear Patient" that implied they were indigent and stated that the hospital no longer could provide them services.
"UC Davis can no longer provide follow-up care or any other non-emergency care to you," it read. "Please go to a County clinic for all non-emergency care or to get a referral to another doctor."
A hospital spokesperson, contacted by the newspaper, called the bill and the insulting letter "a mistake." Apparently the admission to the newspaper did not come with an apology.
The family, as it turns out, is not indigent, and does have insurance, through Kaiser Permanente. Not mentioned here is whether they will be billed separately by Kaiser for care delivered out of network. Or what will happen to the family if the insurance arm of the Kaiser corporation rejects this claim. Let's only hope Kaiser shows more sensitivity than the University of California billing department.
How many reminders do we need of the inequities of a healthcare system so focused on money?
And the need for reform that ends the ongoing attachment of this system to generating "excess revenues" in this case for the "non-profit" UC medical system (which tends to operate like a for-profit giant) and profits for all the for-profit hospitals, insurance companies, drug companies, medical suppliers, and others who make make out like bandits in the healthcare industry.
The Bee article continues a flurry of comments, including this one prominently posted:
The father of an acquaintance of mine (Both Canadian citizens) needed emergency services in San Diego. Upon arriving home (Canada), be got a detailed emergency room bill listing all the individual charges, totaling for $7000. Having never gotten a bill before, the father called daughter "whats this? What do I do?". Ask a person from a civilized country abut health care related bankruptcy: you'll a vacant stare - only in the US. Civilized countries provide health care to their citizens.
Yes, all those industrialized countries that don't chain our health to someone's profit. Will we ever join them? One step now is to continue to press for the most comprehensive, humane reform of all, Medicare for all/single payer.
Hundreds of calls have been flooding the offices of House leaders in support of two amendments, cited in this e-mail alert today from Floridians for Health Care:
It's not too late to call! The managers' amendment that can put the Kucinich amendment back into the legislation has not been released. Members of Congress have received many phone calls. The push for single payer is working. Please keep it up and call now!
Take the two following steps:
- Keep the Kucinich amendment in HR 3269! The Kucinich amendment makes changes to ERISA law that make it possible for states to pass single payer and not have it challenged on the basis of ERISA.
- Keep the promise and let the Weiner amendment come to the floor of the house for a debate and vote. See the video of this at: http://www.youtube.com/... This will be the first time that single payer has come to a vote in the House. It is historic and we don't want to lose this opportunity.
Call:
Speaker Pelosi at 202-225-4965
Majority Leader Hoyer at 202-225-4131
Chairman Waxman at 202-225-3976
Let's keep it up.