Some Guy Posted His Hospital Bill Online. You’ll See Why Everyone’s Talking About It.

[BatmanUSA 105]

I saw that. I guess I was too slow to edit. So we are looking at a $55000 bill and $37000 adjustment (based on insurers negotiated rate). Nothing unusual there, most hospital bills will look like that.

Then we have the insurer paying about $6500 and the patient left with $11000. Looks bad on the surface, but without knowing the insurance plans deductable, HSA or anything else, it's hard to say.

Although health care costs are ridiculous, It does look like this hospitals' pricing is on the high side of things as well, which can make a big difference. It does make sense to have an idea of that if you have more than one hospital in your area. You can't really shop around in an emergency, but you can have a plan where you would go ahead of time.

you can have a plan of where to go in an emergency, but if you call for an ambulance, many have a policy of taking you to the closest ER..

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

The system is a cruel joke.!

you are lucky to have an employer who contributes to your HSA..

I know that.

[Dakine10 5,452]

But that only works if you have multiple ERs in your vicinity which I know I don't. There's exactly 1 ER within 10 miles of my home - maybe even within 15 miles. There are a lot of them in a 25 miles radius but that's not necessarily an option if you have to get there fast. This whole idea of shopping around for emergency medical services is ludicrous.

It's a crazy system. There are 8 ER's within 10 miles of us. One is less than a mile away but people say the bills are pretty high. One ER about 7 miles away is recommended as "top tier" by our health plan, supposedly costing less. Haven't had to find out yet.

[Dakine10 5,452]

you can have a plan of where to go in an emergency, but if you call for an ambulance, many have a policy of taking you to the closest ER..

Yeah, you can ask but they usually take you to the nearest available. But if I ever have to call an ambulance, I'm probably past the point where I'm thinking about cost. I'd probably want them to take me to the nearest ER.