Man Bitten While Trying to Take Selfie With Rattlesnake

[mahatmakanejeeves]

And it went downhill from there.

This $153,000 rattlesnake bite is everything wrong with American health care

Wonkblog
By Christopher Ingraham July 20

Earlier this month a guy named Todd Fassler was bitten by a rattlesnake in San Diego, KGTV San Diego reports. In itself this isn't terribly unusual — the CDC estimates that roughly 7,000 to 8,000 people a year get bitten by a venomous snake in the United States. And somewhere between five and six people die from these bites each year.

What raised eyebrows, though, was Fassler's hospital bill — all $153,000 of it. KGTV reporter Dan Haggerty shared it on Twitter. Take a look.



....
Here's what we do know based on that photo: The bulk of his hospital bill — $83,000 of it — is due to pharmacy charges. Specifically, charges for the antivenin used to treat the bite. KGTV reports that Fassler depleted the antivenin supplies at two local hospitals during his five-day visit. Nobody expects antivenin to be cheap. But $83,000?

[TexasProgresive]

1. Did you see that $0.00 on Adjustments?

Whenever I get an itemized statement like this with insurance there are always "adjustments" that substantially cut the bottom line. I wonder if you are a cash paying customer that you don't get "adjustments".

[TheCowsCameHome]

2. Stupid people pay double.

New rule.

[notadmblnd]

3. Chris Hayes also did a segment on it last night

He had a health care billings expert on with him. When Chris explained that he couldn't figure out what charges and why of all of it in his own personal experiences, the expert chimed and and said he's an expert and he doesn't understand the billing himself.

[frylock]

4. This IDIOT was bitten twice in two weeks by a rattler he had in captivity..

I have no comment as it regards the billing of the idiot.

[postulater]

5. Is he from Florida? nt

[madinmaryland]

7. Florida man's brother. California man.

[hobbit709]

6. STOOPID should be painful and expensive.

[Octafish]

8. Your balance due...is the house.

BTG has fought aggressively to keep competitors off the market. A competing product, Anavip, just received FDA approval this year and likely won't be on the market until late 2018. This lack of competition is one reason that snakebite treatments rack up such huge hospital bills -- $55,000. $89,000. $143,000. In May of this year, a snakebit Missouri man died after refusing to seek medical care, saying he couldn't afford the bill.

Geesh. I wonder if the snake handlers voted for Reagan?