Rising Cost of Medical Care in the United States
Filed under: Global Economy, World Events
CNN is running a very interesting story on hospital billing practices and costs. Health care costs in the United States have skyrocketed in recent years to a point where a single major illness can bankrupt an entire family. In the past, malpractice lawsuits and medical errors have increased the cost of practicing medicine and these costs are passed onto patients. But the question of when is it all too much does arise at some point. There is a point where people can no longer afford to see a doctor over a simple illness that could be cured with a small dose of antibiotics. Instead, it develops into a more severe illness which requires a lengthier hospital visit.
The CNN article outlines some of the medical billing practices. When a person is in need for medical care, do they stop and ask how much it will cost for CAT scan or how much it costs for an X-ray? Instead, hospitals and medical offices around the US only state that patients will pay a negotiated rate between the provider and the insurance agency. It is only several weeks later when the final bill comes stating that the patient is responsible for several hundred or thousand dollars of charges. The next time you receive an “Explanation of Benefits” statement in the mail, take a close look at it to see what you are being charged for and how much you’re being charged. The costs can be pretty amazing.
Watch the CNN video at the link before for more amazing charges that medical billing advocates have seen.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/health/2010/03/01/cohen.health.care.bills.cnn?hpt=C2
Posted on March 1st, 2010 by Andy Yiu
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