Hospital Stays are about $40,000 a day now - if you have a procedure done.

[leftyladyfrommo]

One friend of mine was admitted for chest pain and got some tests. He stayed overnite, was diagnosed with heartburn and billed $13,000. And his was cheap.

My brother had bleeding after a polyp was removed. He went to emergency and was admitted and had immediate surgery to restitch the incision. Cost - about $40,000 a day.

A friend of mine had a tumor (benign) behind her ear that was causing her numbness in her mouth and just general misery where the thing pressed against nerves. They used the gamma knife. She went in at 6 in the morning and was home by 3 - same day. Cost was about $45,000.

A man wrote a letter to the KC Star. He was in for 48 hours and had a stent put in. Cost - about $40,000 a day.

This is insane. Without insurance only the very wealthy would be able to afford care. Even with insurance a lot of people are forced into bankruptcy for just one short hospital stay.

Isn't there some way to make hospitals account for their costs? This is just so insane.

[PDJane]

1. Yes,there is......

But it means making health care a right, and making the system non-profit.

That's not palatable......

[stray cat]

5. If everyone paid in 13% of their gross product it would cover it as nonprofit

but its never going to be painless and cheap

[Gman]

2. Reminds me of how Rush tells people without insurance to do what he does

and pay for it out of their own pockets. He's like, "No problem"

[wolfgangmo]

3. The key is to shift our focus in America from technology heavy

emergency care. Like it or not most surgery is emergency care by definition.

Wellness, prevention, lifestyle management. These things are cheap, effective, and easy to do. Until we do we will keep paying for the hospitals latest doodad.

[Uben]

4. I just got back from the docotr

I went in for an annual checkup and to get my cholesterol script refilled. Cost......$67. I was shocked, Sixty-seven dollars to have someone look in my ears, nose and throat, take my BP, weigh me, fondle my genitals and stick their finger up my butt for a prostate exam. I have insurance, but the price I paid for the exam wouldn't pay the tax on my deductible, so I just paid cash.

[leftyladyfrommo]

6. I have a 1500 deductible but my coverage does lower the cost

of an office visit from about $100 to $65. But I usually end up having to pay about $100 just to walk in the clinic. My last bladder infection cost me about $500 because we had to try about 3 times to find an antibiotic that would work.

[dugaresa]

7. take heart you would have paid up to 3x more for that in Vegas!

;-)

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

8. So you are including every bill as a hospital stay?

[Maine-ah]

9. 26k for me...four days...emergency c-section 3 years ago.