Big Blue Huddle

General Category => The Front Porch => Topic started by: weeze on February 28, 2024, 11:33:45 PM

Title: Medical Bills
Post by: weeze on February 28, 2024, 11:33:45 PM
 As you know I've been experiencing some real serious problems With my spine all the way up on top where your nerve center is. Some mysterious growth had attached itself up there in the area that's referred to as number two. Well we burned that off over 10 sessions and now we're beginning to look at what sort of an operation I'm gonna need.

today I received a statement from Humana Insurance which is my plan g medical backup plan to Medicare. It listed every bill that was submitted to it from June of 2023 through the middle of January 2024. Okay so folks take a wild guess at the total of medical expenses I've racked up in the last 6 months. drum roll please. The toll for the past six months is $253,000. Of course I have out of pocket expenses that I have to pay and my part for all this is $253. Show if you were wondering why our medical bills have become so high visualize someone under the age of 62 receiving a bill of this magnitude. 2 hundred and 53 thousand dollars is almost enough to have purchased my home twice at its price in 2000 and two when I did purchase it.

Just thought I'd share that with y'all. go Giants!
Title: Re: Medical Bills
Post by: Bob In PA on February 29, 2024, 07:08:50 AM
John: I nominate you for "hang-in-there-man-of-the-year." The cost of such treatments is not difficult to fathom. The bad news is that, in the medical field, a lot of money moves around very quickly, all to the benefit of the few and the detriment of the masses. The good news is that remarkable advancements are being made using computers in furthering medical research and developing new, better equipment for surgery. Over all, assessing the good and the bad together, I believe we are making progress (despite ourselves). Take care and hang in there.  Help for Daniel Jones is on the way. lol  Bob
Title: Re: Medical Bills
Post by: Ed Vette on February 29, 2024, 07:53:07 AM
A lesson in having a good supplemental insurance with Medicare.
Title: Re: Medical Bills
Post by: Jolly Blue Giant on February 29, 2024, 08:31:34 AM
I'm not sure why the cost of treatment is so high, but from what I understand from an ex-wife who's an NP, and my daughter who is a manager of a rural health group, much of the cost is used to make up for those without insurance or who have no plans to pay a medical bill in the first place (apparently that's a large number of people)...and of course, malpractice insurance for hospitals, surgeons, anesthetists, etc., is out of this world

Years ago, my boss's wife had kidney issues that eventually led to her death. When it was all over, he was given a bill of around 80,000 dollars. The insurance company sent him a check for 27,000 that was nearly enough to cover it. He called the hospital and told him about the check and that he could not afford the balance. They told him to bring in the check and sign it over, and they'd call it "even". So I have always wondered if they just put in everything in the bill, including the kitchen sink, overpricing everything, and hope they get a large portion of it. Hence, medicare/medicaid fraud across the nation is a natural way of doing business in the medical field

True or not? I don't know  :-??
Title: Re: Medical Bills
Post by: LennG on March 01, 2024, 08:10:07 PM

 On our last cruise, I got very sick and had to go to Mecial on our ship. Just walking in the door of Medical and seeing a doctor is over $300. I was treated for 5 days and ended up with a bill of almost $4000 which is NOT covered by most private medical plans. That's why we buy trip insurance which did cover most of the costs.