What should it cost to put a cast on a kid's arm?

[indyjohn]

It's a shame. I saw your rant earlier today. When it comes down to it, we both work for the same employer, but based on ER & Dr. visits OkieGirl and I have made with children in the past 4 years we wouldn't have paid as much as you did. I don't understand it. In fact, OkieGirl has been to the ED twice for breaks in past year and she was under $600 for both. And no, we don't beat our children...but after the last break she might have considered it.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Is hoosierdoc no longer with us?

He got tired of the BS and decided to live life in the real world for a while. (he wrote a parting letter that was missed as such by many (including me) so dont feel left out... it was subtle and he didnt go out in a blaze of glory.)

And forget "films" as a cost. Thats soooo 90s. Today they are all digital just like our cameras. Pretty cool really. Then again we do still need to chip in for upkeep, etc on our new digital overlords....

 

[Dead Duck]

I wouldn't think it be any more than a small pig and a couple of chickens.




I'm still paying for med bills that are in collections from years ago. There's just no consistency anymore.
Hasn't been for a long time.

I'm sure OBummer Care has made it worse.

 

[Titanium_Frost]

I hate that everyone bills you separately and you also have no idea how much $$$ it will be except a lot. One trip to the Dr can be 5 separate bills to different offices and labs.

 

[Mark-DuCo]

Judging off my sons last medical visit, which was a 10 minute surgery to put tubes in his ears which cost us $6500 thanks to my $6000 deductible (which I do get a matching 4:1 HSA to help with cover,) I'd say around $2000.

 

[WebSnyper]

Just had another thought. Has anyone ever been provided with the slightest idea of what their medical services were going to cost before those services were provided? Is there any opportunity to decide whether what they are providing is worth what they are charging? My daughter was given tylenol at the hospital and they charged $53 for it. Had I been provided an opportunity to know that ahead of time I would have told them to get bent and gave her some when we got home, she was mildly uncomfortable at best at that point.

Why can't we compare prices? There is no competition, is that not supposed to be how things work in this country? Are there any other industries where this is accepted practice?

Why do they get to choose to charge whatever they want? Since there is no opportunity to compare prices, there is no opportunity to determine if the charges are unreasonable.

Is there a means of contesting charges? Why should I be forced to pay $53 for an over the counter medication that I could have purchased for $13? I wasn't notified that they were going to bend me over the waiting room lounger for it.

Its amazing isn't it. Most employers are going with HSA's now to make the employee/patient more involved in the cost/have some skin in the game, but we have absolutely no price transparency in care to make decisions with on treatment or where to go, etc.

These places should have to post prices, and provide pricing info, and on planned procedures they should be able to provide it in advance. Instead you sign your life away in advance without seeing pricing, or sometimes even once they are already providing treatment.

 

[Hookeye]

I think the cast on my middle kid's wrist , late 90's.........was $300.
Doc told me when I broke mine, that resetting it before I got there saved me $500 (same time period).
Kid blew out shoulder not long ago, that was 21K, plus a few grand for BS treatment that had her suffering for a yr before they fixed it.

I have insurance.............amazing how many specialists are needed for everything these days, and how all those $$$$$ tests come back negative.

 

[handgun]

Here is part of the cost factor.

The Hospital has to take in 5 paying customers for every 1 customer that doesn't pay. So they need 5 people with broken arms to pay for 1 person with a broken arm that can't pay. 1/5 of your bill is going to pay for that person that can not or will not pay.

For those who don't have insurance, you need to tell the hospital upfront that you don't have insurance and only have 500.00 to your name or something like that. Yadda yadda. They will be more willing to take you in as a charity case than if you tell them afterwards OH i don't have insurance, I have no job, my dog died, my toilet over flowed yadda yadda... Just FYI...

 

[handgun]

Those big dollar tests are required by doctors and specialists these days. Due to mal practice insurance and insurance claims. It is better to error on the side of caution especially since you never know who is going to be sue happy.

Also the Internet is ironically to blame for some of the extra caution being taken. If x test was not said to have been preformed but could have caught this or that. Whoah is that doctor.

Second the reason for so many specialists is that you can't make any money being a general practitioner anymore the way the system is set up.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

I'm always up front, no insurance, I'm paying cash (which I can). Of course they want to make a copy of your insurance card so it's not going to remain a secret. As soon as I say that, I get a huge discount. Servicing the insurance bureaucracy costs so much they can take at least 40% right off. I'd rather we had catastrophic insurance for the big stuff, and had to pay for the little stuff. It would keep us from troubling the ER with a stuffy nose.