
The case of the $629 Band-Aid – and what it reveals about American health care - dsr12
https://www.vox.com/2016/5/13/11606760/emergency-facility-fees-american-health-care
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mankash666
Multiple reasons for emergency care being more expensive than regular care -
not unlike tier 1 support costing more than regular.

That said, if the kid were eligible for Medicaid the cost to the family would
have been ~0 & the reimbursement to the hospital ~$50. This is significantly
below the true cost of emergency care. Aside from the monthly premiums that
insurance payees pay, they're subsiding care of others with exorbitantly
unfair health care costs.

It's triple taxation for those who pay insurance: 1\. Standard Medicare
payroll tax 2\. Insurance premiums 3\. Out of pocket payments

If you add those 3 components, the true cost of that band aid is ... maybe
$1500?

Why you ask? Because, American health Care is the most obnoxiously unfair
scheme to those that pay into the system.

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DrScump
Clickbait title -- the charge was for an _emergency room_ visit, not just a
bandage. Urgent care is generally cheaper.

Part of the reason that Emergency Room visits cost a premium is to discourage
unnecessary usage.

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tetromino_
An alternative way to look at it is that ER is able to charge exorbitant fees
because the typical ER patient is at an extreme disadvantage in ability to
compare prices or bargain. When you are bleeding out or unconscious, you are
not exactly in a position to look up different hospitals' fees or call ahead
to verify that the doctors on duty are in your insurance's network.

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stevep98
It’s really impossible to look up the fees even if you want to. They are in a
spreadsheet posted online with cryptic codes associated with each charge. You
literally need a degree in medical coding to understand it.

I didn’t understand my $1200 bill for stitches on my finger, even after I
asked the hospital to explain it.

I’m really surprised there isn’t some legal mechanism to a) refuse to pay if
the charges are not clearly billed or explained and b) the hospital has not
sought some kind of consent for a procedure which would cost more than the
patient would expect.

After all, why stop at $1200 for a cut finger? Why not $12000? Or $12000?

