USA healthcare.

[BigClive]

Here's a good video showing just how out of control the American healthcare system is.

Watch the video then pause at the end when they're trying to guess how much the treatment cost, then ask others around you to make a guess too.....

http://www.break.com/index/chick-gets-bit-by-snake.html

[electriklady]

I guessed $100,000, and my question is this.

She was in ICU for 3 days, where I am sure she was given anti-venom, and then basically monitored for the 3 days. It said nothing of any amputations or tissue transplants......................She obviously got pain medication.....morpheine..........what the fu(k could any hospital do for a snakebite victim in 3 days to validate a $140,000 bill. Even with a vial of antivenom costing over 3,000 a vial, that amount is ridiculous.

[electriklady]

To put a little prospective on the subject and how out of control things have gotten.......of course these are prices from the late 70s, but it says a lot.

30 days in the hospital, 7 of which where in ICU, on life support.
A total of 3 surgeries, by the chief surgeon, a nationally respected and ranked surgeon. Constant pain medications, Labs 3 times a day, 32 pints of blood, antibiotics for the duration of the stay, round the clock care by nursing staff, and my surgeon and 5 residents saw me 4 times a day. Not to mention incidental things like constant IV fluids, gauze, staples, stiches, food, etc etc.


The total bill for all that was $8500.00, I remember the day my pops opened the statement from his insurance company that stated what the total costs were and that he owed nothing, thanks to the socialist, good for nothing Teamsters union negotiating excellent health care in the employees contract. Of course that was a time when the insurance companies, drs, hospitals, etc were not trying to rape the patients on a regular basis.

I can tell you that at that time, if we had had to pay that bill it would have put a world of hurt on our family, I can't imagine someone having to pay for something like that in todays prices. It would bankrupt most working people.