Re: An example of unexpected medical bills
 

Unfortunately not, I would have been covered at 100% probably.

Re: An example of unexpected medical bills
 

A friend of mine in Florida found her husband collapsed on the floor in the morning, he was taken to the local hospital and diagnosed with a stroke and helicoptered to the stroke center in Orlando and recovered.
They then ended up with a $70,000 bill as there was a dispute over what was in and out of network.
It was resolved in the end with a massive reduction in costs.

Re: An example of unexpected medical bills
 

Funny isn’t it!

I fell off a curb I didn’t see in the summer.

That evening I decided to go to the hospital as my wrist and ankle were really sore and I had hit my head.

They did an X-ray or my wrist and ankle didn’t seem concerned about my head and sent me on my way.

Being in Canada I wasn’t charged anything. I received a sensible amount of care without any OTT expenses.

I love living in Canada! 🇨🇦

Re: An example of unexpected medical bills
 

Interesting site!

I have a friend whose husband needs his gall bladder removed (laproscopic). In our area it will cost half what it would cost if done in a city 12 miles away.... :blink:

Re: An example of unexpected medical bills
 

I not sure how accurate that site is. For the hospital where I had my MRI done the site gives a cost of between $350 - $650. The actual cost was $1740, and the hospital is owned by my insurers so I don't see them inflating the cost to themselves.

Re: An example of unexpected medical bills
 

My insurance which is administered by Aetna but the company pays it all - the website has a section where you can search for the costs for the procedures you need to get done. I had a look for the cost of the shoulder MRI which I had had already done - costs ranged from $500 to $3500 within a 10 mile radius of my home. The cheapest was a local radiology "chain" and the most expensive was the local hospital.

There's an article about insurance costs - which I will find and post. It is very interesting reading and may explain why your own insurance owned place may not be the cheapest.

Can't find the post that talked about the requirement for health insurance companies to pay out 80% of the premiums in claims but I started here and went down a rabbit hole.. Basically, your insurance owned hospital will bill the insurers ( your insurance company) and there is not a lot of incentive to keep the bill low because of this 80% requirement.
https://wealthyaccountant.com/2017/1...thcare-crisis/

Re: An example of unexpected medical bills
 

We are not too bad in BC for emergency/urgent healthcare at the ER, but the system is failing when it comes to finding a GP for regular routine medical care, and mental health isn't treated on par with physical health making it difficult to obtain services.

Upside to BC health system if I have a heart attack, stroke, or fall, little out of pocket costs.

Downside is if you need a GP you likely can't find one quickly and may even take years.

Re: An example of unexpected medical bills
 

There is NO good reason why this wealthy country I live in could not provide health service in the same way.

There are, however, several bad reasons - the profit-driven health care "industry" comprising insurers, pharma companies, hospitals, doctors, and more.

Re: An example of unexpected medical bills
 

Why should the costs go down? The senior execs and chief surgeons have Cessna payments to make.

Re: An example of unexpected medical bills
 

Price controls create shortages, as has been true since the dawn of time.

Re: An example of unexpected medical bills
 

Re: An example of unexpected medical bills
 

We know someone who's kid had to go into rehab, as he had a bit of a drinking problem. Insurance didn't cover it and it was $275 a day. He's been in rehab for 6 weeks now.

Re: An example of unexpected medical bills
 

Seems to on par with the going rate for self paying patients in BC, the few places I found that list prices were in the 225-275 range.

Some patients may qualify for gov't medical coverage for drug/alcohol treatment but its not universally covered.

Re: An example of unexpected medical bills
 

It is the same down here in Mississippi. Drug and alcohol rehab is not covered by healthcare. Throw your kid out and let the state pay for it.

Re: An example of unexpected medical bills
 

Costs really out of control in USA. A visitor we had needed to visit the emergency room, unspecified illness, 2 hours in waiting room then 15 minutes with doctor who basically said this isn't an emergency , take care of it in your own country. Bill came in at $1,800. However kind of hilarious- clerk asked if he was a veteran, he said yes, and somehow ended up they said bill should be sent to the military- not recognizing it was the military of another country. In any case how could hospital in good conscience send a bill for $1,800 for 15 minutes ?