Your heart attack bill: $3,300 in Arkansas, $92,000 in California

[gjohnson5]

Hospital bills show wide variations for same treatment - May. 8, 2013


In West Virginia the going rate is 3 sheep and a baby pig


discuss

exactly why healthcare SHOULD NOT be regulated on the state level

 

[gjohnson5]

I knew about this, and very few people believed me until a few of them also experienced it. Texas is generally 80% less than CA, simply due to the malpractice suits gone wild in CA

Right Winged talking point without facts
I'm sure that's one reason , but capping malpractice in not THE reason for the excessive cost difference

 

[mistaballoonhands]

Nice google job bro

I do what I can

 

[bigbassturd]

lolol

 

[redsamurai]

isn't nationwide standardization of costs something that obamacare wants to fix?

 

[Mr. dB]

That $92K is Modesto, CA. Inland shit holes don't really count. I doubt you'll even find a real doctor or hospital there. Most people living there would just go see a large animal vet working out of barn.

Surely Ernest & Julio can afford better than that.

 

[PICK3]

isn't nationwide standardization of costs something that obamacare wants to fix?

my grandmother wants to fly jets

 

[WoodyO]

Surely Ernest & Julio can afford better than that.

Pretty sure one (if not both of them) is long dead. Probably due to the quality of healthcare in the inland valley.

 

[kx250rider]

Right Winged talking point without facts
I'm sure that's one reason , but capping malpractice in not THE reason for the excessive cost difference

The fact is that the bills are in my file cabinet; signed, dated & paid. As far as the malpractice cap; it's one MAJOR reason for cost differences because the malpractice premiums can be 1000 (one thousand) % higher in CA, than in TX and other capped states. source:

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2009/08/06/reduce-the-high-cost-of-medical-malpractice/

Charles

 

[mrplunkey]

Those crazy numbers are just a side-effect of how hospitals mark-up bills and charge insurance companies.

1) Hospital develops a Charge Master with crazy mark-ups.

2) Patient billed crazy charges and sent to insurer as line-item bill.

3) Insurance company say, "To hell with that, I'm only paying X (i.e. 140% of Medicare)".

4) Hospital takes payment and writes rest of bill down.