lansbury

Watching TV news last night.

One of the children taken into hospital ICU with H1N1. The cost just for the hospital and nurses, doesn't include doctors, drugs etc $890,000.

Sally Redux

They're 'avin a laugh

Jerseygirl

Hope the parents have good healthcare insurance.

Sally Redux

It appears to be a souk system, the hospital thinks of a number, the insurance company counter-offers, people without insurance go to the wall.

chartreuse

That's about the size of it. Except there's a third list of charges, that we don't get to see. Apparently the charges to government programs are agreed in advance and are even less than the insurance companies pay. But they're top secret, and nobody is allowed to know what they are.

sime303

Sounds like the formula the IRS uses to figure out the tax code.

anotherlimey

At least he got there. The NHS is letting H1N1 patients die in the streets because Gordon Brown can't approve their treatment fast enough...

Bluegrass Lass

Where did you hear/read that? That's news to me..

I find it very hard to believe that the cost of treating the flu is that high. Somebody's having a laugh giving reporters bad info.

Michelmas

I fixed the OP statement for them. You're very welcome.

anotherlimey

We all know that's what happens with Public systems... politicians run the show...





fishy fishy fishy..

fatbrit

Government gets the best value for health insurance, eh! Who'd a thunk it?

chartreuse

The objection is to the secrecy. If the rest of us had access to those figures, we'd be able to use them to challenge outrageous, "made up" bills from medical providers.

Sally Redux

You wouldn't have the bargaining power of a government.

chartreuse

But we (by which I mean all of us, self payers through to insurance companies) would have more than we do now. And there are anti-gouging laws...

Duncan Roberts

They're not that secret if you see what get's billed and then what gets paid!