Stung by a scorpion then really stung by the hospital !

http://lewrockwell.com/north/north1198.html

An Arizona
woman was stung by a scoprion. She went to the hospital. It gave
her two shots. Then it charged her $39,652.

Per shot.

In Mexico,
the same shot costs $100.

Then it charged
her extra fees for the visit. Total bill: over $83,000.

Conclusion:
government-regulated health care is not working for patients. It
is working great for hospitals.

Here are the
details.

Marcie Edmonds
was stung by a scorpion. At first, there were no major problems.
But symptoms began bothering her. She could not walk.

She called
poison control, which advised her to go to a hospital. (Smart people.
They won’t get sued.)

The hospital
did not give her an IV of vitamin C (cheap). It gave her an IV of
a new drug, which costs the hospital $3,780 per dose.

The physician
never mentioned cost, She, being naive, never asked.

Sucker!

Three weeks
later, she was billed a little over $83,000, or $39,652 per dose.

This has absolutely nothing to do with government regulated health care. It has more to do with a person not using their network provider. Those pesky insurance companies are picky about that.

Edmonds' insurer, Humana, has paid Chandler Regional $57,509 for the bill. The hospital has asked Edmonds for the balance of $25,537.

Chandler Regional issued a statement indicating that Edmonds' charges represented the out-of-network costs for her treatment. Chandler Regional is not part of Humana's network, so she was charged the hospital's full billing rate.



Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/20120831scorpion-sting-leaves-woman-big-bill.html#ixzz26Jk3SHAE

To repeat my oft said mantra:

Get rid of all health insurance except catastrophic.

Sick or stung? Go see your family doctor, get treated, pay the bill in cash or chickens. Everyone is happy.....except the chickens.

TEOTWAWKI wrote:http://lewrockwell.com/north/north1198.html

An Arizona
woman was stung by a scoprion. She went to the hospital. It gave
her two shots. Then it charged her $39,652.

Per shot.

In Mexico,
the same shot costs $100.

Then it charged
her extra fees for the visit. Total bill: over $83,000.

Conclusion:
government-regulated health care is not working for patients. It
is working great for hospitals.

Here are the
details.

Marcie Edmonds
was stung by a scorpion. At first, there were no major problems.
But symptoms began bothering her. She could not walk.

She called
poison control, which advised her to go to a hospital. (Smart people.
They won’t get sued.)

The hospital
did not give her an IV of vitamin C (cheap). It gave her an IV of
a new drug, which costs the hospital $3,780 per dose.

The physician
never mentioned cost, She, being naive, never asked.

Sucker!

Three weeks
later, she was billed a little over $83,000, or $39,652 per dose.

I've never seen anyone who constantly finds so much negative news and information. How miserable!

How does it happen that a single dose of this stuff costs almost four thousand dollars.
Is this like the hundred dollar hammers and the five hundred dollar toilet seats in the defense budget or what.

When my wife was dying they gave her some IV Fluids. I was told it had everything in it to keep her alive.. . It was hard to get a answer from them but it I think it was close to 3,400 dollars a bag. It was a Select Hospital in Jackson Mississippi. Very hard to deal with. 2 bags a day for a couple of months. Her bill was over 800,000 when she died. I would believe anything about the cost of stuff in a Hospital.

Our medicines are obscenely overpriced. We had an opportunity to save almost a trillion dollars by setting the rates for medicaid and medicare payments over the next decade. However, President Obama with the leadership of Rahm who was a former big pharm consultant who made millions being their shill, saved about 10 billion and left 990 billion on the table over the next decade. Americans will be overpaying for drugs for the next seven years, and as much as I dislike Romney, the president should have been called out on the carpet on this singular issue.

I am seeing real people suffer horrible deaths because they could not get affordable treatments. Older Americans who must choose between drugs or sustainable living. When special interests can give money to President Obama for commercials to support the Affordable health care bill which guaranteed they could keep 990 billion dollars of profit(I say profit because if the pricing was set at the Canadian and European levels......they would have lost that 990 billion)

Until a loved one is sick.....until a neighbor or friend is sick......you will be ignorant as to what has happened to America. The president may have been honestly trying to incrementally improve America's healthcare, but the suffering of real people over the next decade is part of his responsibility. We must start working for Americans and our fellow Americans. We need to stuff dark money where it properly belongs......where the sun does not shine. These are not Republican or Democrat issues.....these are American issues.

hallmarkgrad wrote:When my wife was dying they used to her some IV stuff to keep her alive.. It was hard to get a answer from them but it I think it was close to 3,400 dollars a bag. It was a Select Hospital in Jackson Mississippi. Very hard to deal with. 2 bags a day for a couple of months. Her bill was over 800,000 when she died. I would believe anything about the cost of stuff in a Hospital.

I believe it too. But I sure would like to see the explanation for why it has to cost this much. I think the answer is it's all another $500 toilet seat and we never got an explanation for that either.

Well Said Mr Seaoats, Well said.

It is very simple. If you allow our congress to become shills for special interests......if you allow the Supreme Court to say special interests are now citizens.......if you allow money to rule supreme over American interests.......it does not matter which party is bought and paid......the end result is that to keep 990 billion dollars, you only have to spend about 300-500 million to buy congress and a president........


It was simple. We set Medicaid and Medicare payments on drugs which mirrored the European and Canadian price schedules.....no arguments.....no debates......no payoffs.......elected officials looking out for Americans. When you see a 70 year old loving spouse crying like a child because she cannot afford a breathing medicine as her husband sits in the waiting room struggling......your life will be changed.....mine has.....I no longer will spare one more breath wasting time ignoring real issues.....we matter....she matters, and we must put Americans first.

Bob wrote:

hallmarkgrad wrote:When my wife was dying they used to her some IV stuff to keep her alive.. It was hard to get a answer from them but it I think it was close to 3,400 dollars a bag. It was a Select Hospital in Jackson Mississippi. Very hard to deal with. 2 bags a day for a couple of months. Her bill was over 800,000 when she died. I would believe anything about the cost of stuff in a Hospital.

I believe it too. But I sure would like to see the explanation for why it has to cost this much. I think the answer is it's all another $500 toilet seat and we never got an explanation for that either.

Because they can. Just because they can.. No one gives a shit if you or I like it or not. And there is not a damn thing you can do about it....And they damn sure dont have to tell us why....

I realize all the fox news and talk radio believers here are convinced that the only problem with america is welfare bums.
And I agree that welfare bums are a serious problem. But they aren't the only parasites in this country because the white collar welfare is just as rampant.

Good Topic. I have to go. Procedure in Biloxi today at the VA. Wish me luck. I am nervous about this one.....not big deal yet....

Slicef18 wrote:

TEOTWAWKI wrote:http://lewrockwell.com/north/north1198.html

An Arizona
woman was stung by a scoprion. She went to the hospital. It gave
her two shots. Then it charged her $39,652.

Per shot.

In Mexico,
the same shot costs $100.

Then it charged
her extra fees for the visit. Total bill: over $83,000.

Conclusion:
government-regulated health care is not working for patients. It
is working great for hospitals.

Here are the
details.

Marcie Edmonds
was stung by a scorpion. At first, there were no major problems.
But symptoms began bothering her. She could not walk.

She called
poison control, which advised her to go to a hospital. (Smart people.
They won’t get sued.)

The hospital
did not give her an IV of vitamin C (cheap). It gave her an IV of
a new drug, which costs the hospital $3,780 per dose.

The physician
never mentioned cost, She, being naive, never asked.

Sucker!

Three weeks
later, she was billed a little over $83,000, or $39,652 per dose.

I've never seen anyone who constantly finds so much negative news and information. How miserable!

Sorry sunshine but it's out there. Hey I can ignore it or you can ignore me. Since I been doing this for many years and it's really not your place to correct what you see as a deficiency in me I suggest the latter. It's very cathartic...I am one of the happiest guys you will ever meet.

hallmarkgrad wrote:Good Topic. I have to go. Procedure in Biloxi today at the VA. Wish me luck. I am nervous about this one.....not big deal yet....

Have a safe trip and I hope all goes well.

2seaoat wrote:It is very simple. If you allow our congress to become shills for special interests......if you allow the Supreme Court to say special interests are now citizens.......if you allow money to rule supreme over American interests.......it does not matter which party is bought and paid......the end result is that to keep 990 billion dollars, you only have to spend about 300-500 million to buy congress and a president........


It was simple. We set Medicaid and Medicare payments on drugs which mirrored the European and Canadian price schedules.....no arguments.....no debates......no payoffs.......elected officials looking out for Americans. When you see a 70 year old loving spouse crying like a child because she cannot afford a breathing medicine as her husband sits in the waiting room struggling......your life will be changed.....mine has.....I no longer will spare one more breath wasting time ignoring real issues.....we matter....she matters, and we must put Americans first.

I love your passion about this issue, Seaoat.
The things you've seen are not right and they should not happen in the USA.

Good Topic. I have to go. Procedure in Biloxi today at the VA. Wish me luck. I am nervous about this one.....not big deal yet....


great topic! Good luck on your procedure and keep the good fight. T, you keep posting whatever you want to post. I may not agree with you all the time, but you make me think.....I learn. If anybody does not realize how people are suffering with our health care system......they are the ones with the problem. We can and must do better. It starts by discussing problems. I would rather have somebody post a relevant topic and be dead wrong, than to see one more silly thread which deals with the cult of personality, or sugar coated smoke and mirrors.

2seaoat wrote:Good Topic. I have to go. Procedure in Biloxi today at the VA. Wish me luck. I am nervous about this one.....not big deal yet....


great topic! Good luck on your procedure and keep the good fight. T, you keep posting whatever you want to post. I may not agree with you all the time, but you make me think.....I learn. If anybody does not realize how people are suffering with our health care system......they are the ones with the problem. We can and must do better. It starts by discussing problems. I would rather have somebody post a relevant topic and be dead wrong, than to see one more silly thread which deals with the cult of personality, or sugar coated smoke and mirrors.

Thanks Mr. Oat, all the best to you.

Bob wrote:How does it happen that a single dose of this stuff costs almost four thousand dollars.
Is this like the hundred dollar hammers and the five hundred dollar toilet seats in the defense budget or what.

Shoot, Bob, they gotta charge enough so the hospital CEO can draw his 900,000 thousand dollars a year. How's he gonna pay for his yacht?

2seaoat wrote:It is very simple. If you allow our congress to become shills for special interests......if you allow the Supreme Court to say special interests are now citizens.......if you allow money to rule supreme over American interests.......it does not matter which party is bought and paid......the end result is that to keep 990 billion dollars, you only have to spend about 300-500 million to buy congress and a president........


It was simple. We set Medicaid and Medicare payments on drugs which mirrored the European and Canadian price schedules.....no arguments.....no debates......no payoffs.......elected officials looking out for Americans. When you see a 70 year old loving spouse crying like a child because she cannot afford a breathing medicine as her husband sits in the waiting room struggling......your life will be changed.....mine has.....I no longer will spare one more breath wasting time ignoring real issues.....we matter....she matters, and we must put Americans first.

Are you willing to set Doctor, Nurses, and Techs to the European and Canadian price schedules?

I've seen family members die a protracted death. My wife's Dad was cared for at home and he weighed 95 pounds. He couldn't speak, eat, or be mobile.
He begged my wife to over-dose him with morphine. She couldn't do it. One day the attending hospital calls us to inform us he has a heart stent surgery scheduled the next day. He skipped the surgery and died 9 days later. We're talking a county hospital trying to operate on VA HERO to pad their income.

My MOM suffered for the last 3 years of her life. Thank God she had a living will. On her death-bed at Sacred Heart, 2 of my sisters wanted to use any means available, to keep her alive. Remember, it only takes 1 to void the living will. My MOM wrote down her wishes and died in peace at 0600 022804.

Some people can't let go of life. Some people can let go of life.

Why should society pay for those who can't let go of life? When Social Security was passed the average life expectancy was 57.something years. The retirement age was 65, get it. The funds were never expected to be paid out. It was a new income tax under another name.

Now, when will citizens hold politicans accountable?

We all know end of life care is the most expensive. I ask why? How many end of life persons are willing to end their life? Why can't they? If it's legal to kill them before they are born without their say, why can't they be allowed to die with their wishes?

Just my thoughts, no offense to anyone.....

TEOTWAWKI wrote:http://lewrockwell.com/north/north1198.html

An Arizona
woman was stung by a scoprion. She went to the hospital. It gave
her two shots. Then it charged her $39,652.

Per shot.

In Mexico,
the same shot costs $100.

Then it charged
her extra fees for the visit. Total bill: over $83,000.

Conclusion:
government-regulated health care is not working for patients. It
is working great for hospitals.

Here are the
details.

Marcie Edmonds
was stung by a scorpion. At first, there were no major problems.
But symptoms began bothering her. She could not walk.

She called
poison control, which advised her to go to a hospital. (Smart people.
They won’t get sued.)

The hospital
did not give her an IV of vitamin C (cheap). It gave her an IV of
a new drug, which costs the hospital $3,780 per dose.

The physician
never mentioned cost, She, being naive, never asked.

Sucker!

Three weeks
later, she was billed a little over $83,000, or $39,652 per dose.

this was a antivenom med and the charge is pricey( they need to be dealt with). But to act like this is some kind of usual charge is a fuckin lie. and I am god damn sick in tired of you sorry assed anti healthcare people.

teo you need to retire and stop taking money from the healthcare feild.

and for the rest of you. go to fuckin mexico if you want cheap healthcare. matter of a fact, why dont you move there so we will have more room here for the mexicans.

Bob wrote:How does it happen that a single dose of this stuff costs almost four thousand dollars.
Is this like the hundred dollar hammers and the five hundred dollar toilet seats in the defense budget or what.

How do you get anti-venom? You have to put a price on every step that goes into getting the drug. Then in a hospital setting, you have to factor in the prices for all of the following:

-Pharmacy Purchasing Agent who orders the drug
-Shipping to deliver the drug to the hospital
-Purchasing staff to process the shipment and deliver the drug to the pharmacy
-Pharmacy staff to process the drug order
-Pharmacy tech to stock the drug on the shelf or in the cooler
-Sometimes also a pharmacy tech to convert a drug into a unit dose for administration. In that case, add a pharmacist to oversee the conversion.
-Physician's order to administer the drug
-Pharmacist & pharmacy staff to deliver the drug to where the patient is
-Nurse to verify the right drug is going to the right patient
-Nurse to administer drug & document that the drug was administered
-Data clerk to enter codes for all of the above
-Billing staff to compile and mail the bill
-Accounts staff to accept payment

That's why a single aspirin used to cost over $3 when I worked as a hospital pharmacy tech back in the early 80's.

hallmarkgrad wrote:Good Topic. I have to go. Procedure in Biloxi today at the VA. Wish me luck. I am nervous about this one.....not big deal yet....

Definitely wishing you the best of luck.

Just my thoughts, no offense to anyone.....

none taken, and you have hit the nail on the head. We have objective and measurable health care costs. Tip Oneil and Ronald Reagan realized that the actuarial tables were off in the late 80s and they adjusted the revenues and adjusted the benefits to fit current life expectancies.

It is simple. We need an adjustment. We need to raise revenues and push back retirement dates and balance the fund. If nothing is done the system around 2037 will only pay 75% of the benefits, and this will flatline. We are not by any means in crisis, but with each year that our leaders fail to reach bipartisan solutions we put more Americans at risk in health care.

I believe it is simple priorities. As some begin to be fooled and beat the war drum, do you realize the five trillion lost in two wars and tax cuts could have gone a long way to cover any gaps and put Americans first. I think Americans should have the collective right to get the benefit of the bargain of Europe and Canada in drug pricing. The trillion dollars lost by President Obama to get the affordable health care bill passed in my opinion was wrong, and 10 billion savings over a decade is an insult to the American people.

here's part of the real problem.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2011/industries/21/index.html

its phramacueticle companies. They make the BIG bucks.

and they have the BIG lobbyist.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/may/31/threats-deals-got-drug-companies-on-board-with-oba/?page=all

Top administration officials cut backroom deals with the nation’s top drug companies to win support for President Obama’s health care overhaul, threatening them with steeper taxes if they resisted and promising a better financial deal for the industry if they acquiesced, according to internal documents released Thursday by House Republicans.

In some of the key deals, Mr. Obama agreed to drop his long-standing support for letting Americans buy cheaper foreign prescription drugs — something the pharmaceutical industry vehemently opposed — and the drugmakers promised to mount a public campaign to sell the public on the health care legislation


Read more: Threats, deals got drug companies on board with Obama - Washington Times http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/may/31/threats-deals-got-drug-companies-on-board-with-oba/#ixzz26OhTd92G
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