$640.00 to fill the tanks...

john smith wrote:
Insurance paid $3700, we owe $1200 (20% of the total bill).

You could also have elected to buy a more expensive policy that covered
more, you selected a policy that paid 80% based on the cost of the
policy and what you would get for it. Personally, I just carry a
catastrophic policy and pay everything out of pocket with pre-tax
dollars using an HSA. I'm saving a ton of money over my previous PPOs
and HMOs and if I ever do get really sick, the catastrophic policy
kicks in.

-Robert

AES wrote:
In article . com,
"Robert M. Gary" wrote:
If you've had any close
encounters with hospital bills lately, you have to be dismayed at what
seem to be the "way up there" costs or charges for every little aspect
of that part of the healthcare system. I have to suspect that somehow,
the charges on those who can pay are driven up by the hospital's legal
requirement to provide walk-in care without reimbursement for those who
can't, or won't -- and it shows up in _our_ payments, whether for direct
care or for insurance.

My point is that if a homeless person in the U.S. walks into a hospitol
and needs expensive emergency care he will not be turned away. The
hospital will provide the care and the gov't (us)will fit the bill.
This even applies to those in the U.S. illegally.

-Robert

"Robert M. Gary" wrote

My point is that if a homeless person in the U.S. walks into a hospitol
and needs expensive emergency care he will not be turned away. The
hospital will provide the care and the gov't (us)will fit the bill.
This even applies to those in the U.S. illegally.

And there you have another reason why healthcare in the US is so expensive.

You have people who can not afford to pay for a family doctor, come to the
ER only when stuff is hitting the fan. Most times it could be taken care of
in a family doc's office, but they don't have to see you there. That leave
a bunch of expensive people and equipment sitting around for non emergency
types of problems, but still having to be paid for being ready for the
person that really needs it all.

Add to that the fact that there would not have been the urgent situation, if
preventative care had been taken.

Don't even get me started on malpractice insurance costs, or drug makers
advertising on TV and other places.
--
Jim in NC

Robert M. Gary wrote:
Show me who qualifies for medicaid and can afford to fly at the same
time.

If you can afford to fly, you are paying for your health care whether
you live in the U.S. or in Europe. In Europe you give the gov't money
to pay for your healthcare, in the U.S. you give the insurance company
money to pay for your healthcare.
In both cases, if you don't have money, the gov't picks up the tab.
-Robert


An American pays more tax dollars to NOT get universal healthcare
compared to what a Canadian pays.

Andrew Sarangan wrote:
An American pays more tax dollars to NOT get universal healthcare
compared to what a Canadian pays.

And Canadians are still buying private health insurance while many of
their best doctors come to the U.S. for proper compensation.

-Robert