Recently my wife had surgery.
We just received the bill.
Suffice it to say that given our medical back grounds JUST SINCE 1995 - of the same cancer Justice Rehnquist had (12 surgeries, radiation), veinous disease (3 surgeries), and one near fatal and heart attack we have become aficionados of health insurance, treatment and costs. After a rigorous due diligence we decided, that ASIDE from SOME KIND of tort reform, and MOST IMPORTANTLY (having lived in several places with VERY different rules) cross state wide open competition among the 1300 health insurance companies in the nation .. the best way to bring pressure to bear on rising costs is a combination of some kind of health savings accounts and high deductible insurance.
And then we got this bill.
We had a FINE surgeon. She spent ONE HOUR doing it. Her personal bill for that hour was $3000. Our tally was $125.01. So who cares, right? I can't get a TUNE UP for $125 of my own money.
But if MANY of us, ten of millions with health savings accounts, had to spend our own money would that bill not raise enough hackles out there for some surgeons to lower that price?
I do not dispute that she ought to get all the market bears. But the way this market is constructed is such that the consumers only NOW consider their responsibility. And only in a foggy diluted fashion.
That change above would be called health care reform.
And thus we come to Joel Benenson's (Obama pollster) INCREDIBLE, DEATH DEFYING column on his belief that Americans, who like me WANT REFORM, want this reform before the congress.
It is ironic that Democratic pollsters Patrick H. Caddell and Douglas E. Schoen felt "compelled" to "challenge the myths" about public attitudes on health care by simply restating one of the most commonly stated -- and patently wrong -- Republican myths [Washington Forum, March 12].No pollster, including me, could look at the recent data and responsibly say anything other than that the American public is closely divided when it comes to supporting or opposing various health-care plans
Various health care plans?
Only one is under consideration, and NO ONE CAN EXPLAIN IT, because no one has read it. And if they did, best of luck reducing 2700 pages to an intelligible argument.
PS.. only 7 of 535 representatives in the House and Senate ever read the 2003 Intelligence estimate of Iraq before they voted on war.
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4 comments:
"She spent ONE HOUR doing it."
This surgeon spent well more than one hour planning & consulting with radiographer(s)/anesthesiologist(s)/hematology/lab(s)/any variety of specialists, coordinating staff, tests, analysis from each in pre-op and post-op efforts.
SEPARATE CHARGES ANON.
Remember I've done medical research FOR A LONG TIME. 80's.
The itemized bill SPECIFIED surgical time alone.
We have plenty of other items billed.
All coordination was done by other staff members, and was billed out by the practice, as were the diagnostic and mapping ultrasounds, the consulting fees for the ultrasound operator, reading of ultrasound, and med tech time pre and post ultrasound AND the consultative visit for the surgeon BEFORE surgery.
The operating suite billed separately, and so will the the billing for the other members of the team.
Although some of this family's recent experience with health care was positive, some was not.
We have private policies.
Recently, we got a bill for $1600 for an AFO brace, a piece of plastic and velcro that was not custom molded and which enables Mr. AOW to take a few halting steps. The health insurance we have covers only $1000 per year on durable medical equipment.
We've also recently had problems getting authorization for home health PT and OT. If only the gate keeper would come here and take a look, that gate keeper would see that Mr. AOW needs home therapy.
BTW, Mr. AOW's medical bills came to over $150,000 (between September 15 and December 31, following his stroke), and we paid about $5000 of that, plus $7600 in premiums.
Over the years, our employers and we have paid in approximate $1 million in premiums, deductibles, and copays.
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