I’ll be honest, I didn’t always get exactly just how jacked up Healthcare is in the US. I’ve been relatively healthy for years. My wife has too, and the kids. And at the time when our son was born, my wife was the one who took care of bill payments, and she was on my insurance at a former employer at the time, and it was really good insurance.
Fast forward to last November. My wife had a lipoma on her upper back/back of neck area for a long time, almost a decade. She hated it, but never did anything about it because it just sat there, was hidden by her hair, and wasn’t growing. Well last year it started growing, so she went to have it removed.
I admit I found it odd that the dermatologist decided it HAD To be done in the hospital. Everything I’d read and see said it usually was an office visit thing, but maybe it was because of the size. She had it removed, everything was fine. Biopsy came back clean… no worries.
Then the bills started.
A bill for the surgeon who removed it. A bill for the anesthesiologist. A bill for the biopsy, a bill for the pathologist, a bill for the pre-surgery visit, a bill for the post visst, a bill for the stitch removal...And then ‘mystery’ bill from the hospital. 2700$. We wanted to know what it was for. Asked for an itemized bill. Instead the hospital sent us to collections… We argued that. Got it fixed… and finally got an itemized bill.
And I nearly fell over.
For 6 hours in the hospital. Pre and post removal… total of 6 hours. The bill was 87,231$. Now my wife isn’t on my insurance. She’s a teacher and is on her own plan (It’s a sucky plan, but...)
After insurance it was 2700$.
But 87, 231?? I know that’s not really what gets charged.. I know there’s all kinds of somewhat labyrinthine rules and polices, but still… 87,231$ for 6 hours???