Are you "lucky"if you have a secure retirement?

[Parkanzky]

That's good. But, I was wondering how much was billed against her by all parties involved. So, for example, if she hadn't had insurance what would she be looking at?

Thankfully, I don't know. Probably seven figures.

 

[randy41]

That's good. But, I was wondering how much was billed against her by all parties involved. So, for example, if she hadn't had insurance what would she be looking at?

she would be looking at all the parties involved being willing to settle for whatever she can afford.

 

[texasjohn]

Thankfully, I don't know. Probably seven figures.

I note that you said...

"That resulted in a couple of months in the hospital (with a helicopter flight from the smaller hospital to a nationally-recognized facility a few days in), about a month in Intensive Care, many, many pints of blood and a few major surgeries and several procedures. "

That, alone without the subsequent care you mention, in my opinion puts you into the seven figure category. Doctors and hospitals work miracles at making things as good as they can be and allowing subsequent good quality of life....but it comes at a cost.

Forced to treat patients by law, the cost is borne by insurance, the patient, and when there is no more payments available, then the medical community eats the cost...meaning that the rates for other patients with better insurance or deeper pockets goes up.

The alternative is to expel patients into the front yard and let "nature take its course" when insurance/personal funds run out.

 

[Parkanzky]

I note that you said...

"That resulted in a couple of months in the hospital (with a helicopter flight from the smaller hospital to a nationally-recognized facility a few days in), about a month in Intensive Care, many, many pints of blood and a few major surgeries and several procedures. "

That, alone without the subsequent care you mention, in my opinion puts you into the seven figure category. Doctors and hospitals work miracles at making things as good as they can be and allowing subsequent good quality of life....but it comes at a cost.

Forced to treat patients by law, the cost is borne by insurance, the patient, and when there is no more payments available, then the medical community eats the cost...meaning that the rates for other patients with better insurance or deeper pockets goes up.

The alternative is to expel patients into the front yard and let "nature take its course" when insurance/personal funds run out.

I'm sorry in advance for saying something that's obviously going to become political, but this is why I believe that everyone needs access to health care.

If my wife had gotten sick and not had insurance, should she have just been allowed to die? I think that's a hard argument to make. As it turns out, she's worked hard, become successful, and makes positive contributions to society. It would be a shame if she hadn't had that chance.

Or should she have been ruined financially? The hospitals still wouldn't have ever gotten their money and the costs would have been passed along as you say above.

Universal health care just formalizes that cost sharing. It's going to happen either way, and the system would be way more efficient if it was just the way it is supposed to work instead of how it turns out after a bunch of people fight each other for years over the bills that everybody knows the patient can't pay.

 

[houstonscott]

I read a piece that had this statistic. Half or 50% of everyone's lifetime medical costs are spent in your last ten days of life. I wonder if people hoping for miracles or doctors not not being truthful in conveying the reality of situations, or distraught families not being able to face reality waste valuable medical dollars for impossible outcomes. HS

 

[murphy1244]

I read a piece that had this static. Half or 50% of everyone's lifetime medical costs are spent in your last ten days of life. HS

Then I guess I'm going out with a bang!:laughing:

 

[JDgreen227]

I read a piece that had this static. Half or 50% of everyone's lifetime medical costs are spent in your last ten days of life. HS

"Static".....????? Assume you mean "statistic". "Half or 50%"....??? Why use both terms? There is a keen thread about spelling and punctuation active right now....check it out.

 

[JDgreen227]

And while we are airing things out as regards medical costs, how many of you members have Long Term Care insurance? Do you feel it's worth the expense? I currently pay $82 a month in premiums and started the plan about 16 years ago, which makes the current premium seem reasonable.

 

[rtimgray]

Half the people in America don't understand fractions, and the other 2/3rds don't care....

 

[JDgreen227]

Half the people in America don't understand fractions, and the other 2/3rds don't care....

I thought it went: "4 out of 3 people have difficulty with math".....