Hospital charges $9,000 to bandage cut middle finger

[Gester]

Hahahaha wow it must really suck to live in the USA when you read stuff like that. 

O.O

Here in Australia with Medicare - costs $7 from July 1st next year, currently, it cost nothing for the same procedure. 

 

 

Obviously you mustn't work then. I pay 1.5% Medicare levy and a further 1.5% Medicare Levy Surchage - so no, the procedure is still technically not free here either. Aussies forget real quick that we still pay a decent amount for Healthcare. On top of that, good luck getting any voluntary procedures done quick or without paying for gap amounts for scans, tests etc.

[Tews]

I'm really glad that all of my medical expences are covered 100%  I dont pay a dime for a Dr's visit, hospital stays, ambulance transportation, medications, you name it, I'm covered.  Now, with that being said, without my current coverage, I couldn't afford my monthly meds... $1375.00, so I'd be bankrupt within three months.  So I know how it is to be on the other side of the fence...

[Angelic Marge]

You couldn't go to my GP's surgery to be bandaged up, apparently they don't keep bandages on the premises  :s

[Mr. Gibs]

ERs should be as expensive as possible. People should go to the ER for actual emergencies. Not for stuff they can see a GP for or even an RNP at an urgent care center. Too many people in the US has replaced their doctors with ER visits and this is a major problem that needs to be reversed.

There are times when you have no choice but to go to the ER though.

Where I live there aren't any 24 hr urgent care clinics and most of them close at 7pm. Same thing with doctors office, though good luck getting in without an appointment. So say you cut your finger off at 8pm, your only choice is the ER.

[+LogicalApex MVC]

There are times when you have no choice but to go to the ER though.

Where I live there aren't any 24 hr urgent care clinics and most of them close at 7pm. Same thing with doctors office, though good luck getting in without an appointment. So say you cut your finger off at 8pm, your only choice is the ER.

Well yes, if you cut your finger off then you should go to an ER. You'll need surgery to reattach the severed digit.

 

If you just cut your finger, as is the case here, then you can clean and dress the wound yourself at home and wait for the Urgent Care place to open up in the morning. Cases like this put unnecessary strain on the ER resources causing delayed access to care by people who might be experiencing an actual emergency.

 

The ER was never designed to replace your family doctor nor something like an Urgent Care place. The price should be high enough to ensure it is used for emergencies only.

 

If you go to a steakhouse expect to pay steakhouse rates...

[Mr. Gibs]

If you just cut your finger, as is the case here, then you can clean and dress the wound yourself at home and wait for the Urgent Care place to open up in the morning. Cases like this put unnecessary strain on the ER resources causing delayed access to care by people who might be experiencing an actual emergency.

Depends on how deep the cut is.

It may have been bleeding enough to warrant a need for him to go to the ER, I dunno.

[theyarecomingforyou]

ERs should be as expensive as possible. People should go to the ER for actual emergencies. Not for stuff they can see a GP for or even an RNP at an urgent care center. Too many people in the US has replaced their doctors with ER visits and this is a major problem that needs to be reversed.

What ridiculous logic. Here in the UK we use A&E for anything that needs treatment urgently, which includes cut fingers (though one wouldn't go to A&E unless necessary). I went to A&E various times as a kid for minor conditions and never had to fear it costing my family thousands or tens of thousands of pounds. In the UK you wouldn't go to a GP for an injury you suspect of needing stitches and I don't see why it would be radically different in the US - it's more for longer term, non-urgent injuries and conditions. 

 

The charges here are utterly ridiculous and demonstrate how fundamentally broken the US healthcare system is. It wasn't long ago we saw something similar for a snakebite and the absurdly priced antivenom. We see the same story time and time again. You shouldn't have to fear receiving medical treatment because it could bankrupt you.

[JustGeorge]

Not sure why this is news... He went to an ER and got charged for going to an ER...

 

You don't get to go to a top tier steakhouse and complain that they charged you $100 for a plate of food when you can get a steak meal at Hard Rock Cafe for $25...

 

ERs should be as expensive as possible. People should go to the ER for actual emergencies. Not for stuff they can see a GP for or even an RNP at an urgent care center. Too many people in the US has replaced their doctors with ER visits and this is a major problem that needs to be reversed.

And what about the people that go to the ER for actual serious conditions? Should they be severely overcharged because others are coming in for frivolous problems? Someone should be there to assess each situation as they come in and refer the minor problems to an urgent care facility. 

 

I agree that ERs are abused but your method of dealing with the problem is only going to punish those that use it for its intended purpose.

[+LogicalApex MVC]

And what about the people that go to the ER for actual serious conditions? Should they be severely overcharged because others are coming in for frivolous problems? Someone should be there to assess each situation as they come in and refer the minor problems to an urgent care facility. 

 

I agree that ERs are abused but your method of dealing with the problem is only going to punish those that use it for its intended purpose.

No, the ER isn't in a position to turn people seeking care away. That is actually a violation of federal law if the hospital receives money from Medicare. So they can't just refer the patient to Urgent Care without first treating them.

 

I also don't think people in need of actual emergencies should be overcharged. It should be priced similar to most current medical insurance policies... Bigger out of pocket expenses if you visit an ER and aren't admitted than if you are admitted.

 

What ridiculous logic. Here in the UK we use A&E for anything that needs treatment urgently, which includes cut fingers (though one wouldn't go to A&E unless necessary). I went to A&E various times as a kid for minor conditions and never had to fear it costing my family thousands or tens of thousands of pounds. In the UK you wouldn't go to a GP for an injury you suspect of needing stitches and I don't see why it would be radically different in the US - it's more for longer term, non-urgent injuries and conditions. 

 

The charges here are utterly ridiculous and demonstrate how fundamentally broken the US healthcare system is. It wasn't long ago we saw something similar for a snakebite and the absurdly priced antivenom. We see the same story time and time again. You shouldn't have to fear receiving medical treatment because it could bankrupt you.

Do you also dial 911 (or the UK equiv.) when you notice someone illegally dumped refuse in the public can? or some other non-emergency? Do you call the fire department when you get a grill flareup that can be solved by closing the grill and starving out the fire? Obviously not, but why? You know that calling the police on the emergency number pulls a cop off the street that may be needed elsewhere for an actual emergency and the same is true for the fire department. It is no different when dealing with an ER. They have to see everyone so people there with minor issues tie up resources that are needed for more urgent cases.

 

It is something that really should be strongly discouraged... With police and fire people can be arrested. The ER doesn't have the same ability to discourage people from placing others at risk.

 

Just because you didn't get a "bankrupting bill" or have any ill gains doesn't mean the hospital had to turn away an incoming emergency patient because you were sitting in the bed they needed. The drive to the next hospital with an open bed could easily mean death or very horrible complications for patients in need of care in 5 minutes or less...

 

Depends on how deep the cut is.

It may have been bleeding enough to warrant a need for him to go to the ER, I dunno.

It is possible I guess... I would have cleaned it at home and stopped the bleeding then assessed the need for an ER visit, but I guess I am not typical.

[JustGeorge]

No, the ER isn't in a position to turn people seeking care away. That is actually a violation of federal law if the hospital receives money from Medicare. So they can't just refer the patient to Urgent Care without first treating them.

 

That's where the law needs to change to address the problem. If a hospital is qualified to assess and treat diseases, they should be able to competently examine you and refer you to the appropriate facility. Obviously, you wouldn't turn people away that are experiencing chest pains, gushing blood from their anus, etc. You get what I'm trying to say, right? :)

 

Hospitals could even have Urgent care depts alongside the ER, if they're concerned about turning people away or potential lawsuit fallout. In the US, for-profit hospitals are going to have to adapt to compete with urgent cares popping up in their territory.

[theyarecomingforyou]

Do you also dial 911 (or the UK equiv.) when you notice someone illegally dumped refuse in the public can? or some other non-emergency?

No, we have a non-emergency number. A&E in the UK is for accidents and emergencies, with low-priority cases having to wait longer so as not to stretch resources.

 

Do you call the fire department when you get a grill flareup that can be solved by closing the grill and starving out the fire?

No but that's a false analogy, as in the case here he believed he needed stitches and that's not something the average person can do themselves.

 

You know that calling the police on the emergency number pulls a cop off the street that may be needed elsewhere for an actual emergency and the same is true for the fire department. It is no different when dealing with an ER. They have to see everyone so people there with minor issues tie up resources that are needed for more urgent cases.

There is no reason that such treatment needs to be so expensive. I guess we just have very different expectations from healthcare. Personally I'm glad that I can walk into A&E and be seen by professionals without any fee. The US healthcare system has clearly failed this man; the UK system wouldn't have.

[wrack]

As it should.  The Australian system is already very expensive and a $7 minimum fee for GP visits will lead to poor people avoiding doctors that they can't afford.  Australians shouldn't be crowing about how bad the US system is when their own system is only slightly better.

It was meant to be a /s reply. I agree with you. I don't mind paying for the GP visit if I weren't already paying a Medicare Levy and Surcharge on top of that.

[abecedarian paradoxious]

Where's the obligatory "but the USA has the BEST healthcare in the world !!!!". Of course no one mentions its only for the rich.

 

And urgent care centers are a scam as well. They're privately run, only open up in areas with affluence (none in poor areas) and negotiate prices with medical providers/insurance. There's no way in this country to find out exactly how much a procedure will cost before doing it, so that they can rip you off. In any other ocuntry in the world its a simple phone call, in most cases they are obligated by law to disclose costs. Not in the US of course.

Sources?

 

Otherwise, fallacies.

 

I don't want to get political,

Then don't get political. ;)

but this has nothing to do with "Obamacare"

- you just got political. :(

we had bills this high for basic first aid many years ago also.... heck hospitals would charge $500 for a box of gloves when they used a single pair.....

 

OSHA regulations have required such things as sterile, 'new', unopened boxes of gloves, sterile hypodermic needles and unadulterated medicines for years before Obamacare started bleeding us.

...and don't get us started on malpractice insurance and lawsuits.

[lt8480]

Wow. I'm glad I live in the UK. Although the NHS is slowly becoming privatised as well.

NHS Privatisation is thrown around in a manner which suggests that free access is disappearing and we'll all soon be paying for everything, but that's not the case at all.... Whilst I disagree with what is happening the things that are becoming privatised are things such as hospital buildings ownership, maintenance contracts, and some services within the NHS. The reality is these are all paid for by the government and the services actually provided to patients will continue to be free to everyone....

Privatising the NHS does not mean it has to cost patients!

[webeagle12]

Probably have to wait days for an appointment. :/

 Usually in  'mericah its weeks