wife had a mole removed... $7,000+!!!!!!!!

[Redbull661]

My wife was in to the doc for regular checkup. In the past doc has removed several moles that didn't look right. So that's usually $100 if she removes 1 or 2 or 3. Anyway on this visit doc sees a little one on the top of her ear.
Since its on the ear she sends my wife to a dermatologist.

Derma place - charges our insurance $300 for office visit, $700 to scrap some cells for a sample, $660 for diagonostic lab work, and $650 some idiot to analyze the diagnostic work. Comes back NOT cancerous. But the cells are "odd". So they say to remove it. But since it's on the ear - plastic surgeon required! IIRC they recommended several. So they charged ins $2300 - Insurance co. paid them about $585. we paid $150.

So IIRC she found this plastic surgeon who was covered by our insurance. He's out of Eau Claire WI - 45 miles East of us, But the surgery is done at River Falls hospital a city which is 20 miles to the West of us.

I went with her. Talk about waaaay over the top for a mole. I my self have had several serious surgeries and it wasn't this involved. All the usual pre op crap. Wait in a room. Wheel her out to the operating room. She's gone for about 15min. Comes back with a bandage on top of the top of her ear lobe. (which is where the mole was...she works out side and gets too much sun).

River falls area hospital bill - $3685 Insurance paid them $2900. we paid $140.

Then separate bill from plastic surgeon - $1332 - insurance paid $992 we paid $200


Yes, I am extremely grateful we have great insurance - But WHAT THE F*CK!!! for a FCKING MOLE!!!

my take - the plastic surgeon charged probably an ok price. dermatolgist and river falls hospital sure milked it.

oh and to top it off the dis-solvable stitches they put in her ear. Didn't dissolve. ...we're starting to get infected and hurt her. Neither of us wanted to drive 45min x 2 to Eau Clarie to have him remove them. So I removed them and cleaned up the area easy pezzy.


the other bullsh*t is that if we didn't have insurance. All these places would expect us to fork out the $7000. While the insurance co. gets huge discount.

 

[concretegrazer]

Odd. That should've been delt with by an ear nose & throat specialist.

 

[Agent Orange]

I feel your pain.

This could be a long and forbidden topic, BUT....
I am insulin dependant diabetic and have been since I was 5. Insulin is up to 300 a bottle, I use 2 a month=600. Out of pocket because our company insurance doesn't cover prescription. It has almost doubled in price since the new healthcare act. I work my ass off, make just enough to put me in the "not so affordable" healthcare bracket, so while I pay for others to get cheap insurance I get fleeced for insurance and my monthly medicine. That 600.00 monthly doesn't factor in blood sugar testing supplies or other supplies.

It's 300.00 a bottle so the big pharma companies can charge Medicare and other insurance companies a premium.

It's enough to make my blood boil.

 

[Mastermind]

This ain't really a political discussion in my humble opinion. It could turn into one......so let's not allow that please.

I don't have any medical insurance. I'm not gonna be told that I have to pay a insane price for subpar coverage......I'm just not.

I pay as I go, and pray that I stay healthy till I can retire.

I pay 75.00 for a doctor visit. My sister in law has insurance, and has to pay 125.00 out of pocket for each visit.

Think about that......

 

[Agent Orange]

It goes much higher and further than that and that's probably where we should leave that part of this discussion.

I'm glad I'm still alive thanks to medicine. Glad your wife will survive that killer mole. Big fat Eat Me to the other parties involved by profiting well beyond reasonable rates from the working class.

 

[exSW]

Big hospitals , Big Pharma and BIG Companies who use health coverage for employee retention. Hospitals poor mouth but they are now for the most part NON PROFITS. And if there is no money how come every crossroad Podunk hospital is expanding constantly or building entire new facilities? I was in a beautiful hospital out patient facility yesterday. Stinkin' personnel sucked with the exception of the PA(I didn't even get to see a DR). I am there for the treatment of a imminently life threatening or at the very least life altering condition and the first thing TWO people asked me is if I've has a colonoscopy! Totally unrelated to my present condition. I said ," let's solve this problem first". Ya think they don't make a killing on colonoscopyies?

 

[Agent Orange]

Big hospitals , Big Pharma and BIG Companies who use health coverage for employee retention. Hospitals poor mouth but they are now for the most part NON PROFITS. And if there is no money how come every crossroad Podunk hospital is expanding constantly or building entire new facilities? I was in a beautiful hospital out patient facility yesterday. Stinkin' personnel sucked with the exception of the PA(I didn't even get to see a DR). I am there for the treatment of a imminently life threatening or at the very least life altering condition and the first thing TWO people asked me is if I've has a colonoscopy! Totally unrelated to my present condition. I said ," let's solve this problem first". Ya think they don't make a killing on colonoscopyies?

Hope you get it sorted out quickly, they'll probably want to send you to a dentist or optometrist first to rule those items out.

 

[Brian Simonseth]

Some know my story ....

This year 2016

My insulin went from $7.50 a bottle to $86 a bottle

One of my meds was $12.50 now it's $482

So if you think you have insurance double check; I have three different insurances and I could buy a pretty sweet house with the money I owe form the 13 surgeries I've had over the last 15 months

 

[exSW]

Some know my story ....

This year 2016

My insulin went from $7.50 a bottle to $86 a bottle

One of my meds was $12.50 now it's $482

So if you think you have insurance double check; I have three different insurances and I could buy a pretty sweet house with the money I owe form the 13 surgeries I've had over the last 15 months

And I'll bet the nonprofit hospital is more than willing to attach your assets in order to get the rest of their money.

 

[Brian Simonseth]

All I can do is look on the bright side this year I've only had one surgery and one more scheduled

Just hope I can get back to some what normal

Just to stay alive

 

[Firewood Bandit]

This ain't really a political discussion in my humble opinion. It could turn into one......so let's not allow that please.

I don't have any medical insurance. I'm not gonna be told that I have to pay a insane price for subpar coverage......I'm just not.

I pay as I go, and pray that I stay healthy till I can retire.

I pay 75.00 for a doctor visit. My sister in law has insurance, and has to pay 125.00 out of pocket for each visit.

Think about that......

That's fine and well and I don't believe anyone should be required to purchase anything they don't want to. However say for instance you were involved in any kind of accident, whether it be car or say chainsaw related????

Within a day tens of thousands of dollars worth of bills could be accrued and the medical care provider MUST care for you. In the event this financial obligation can't be met the hospital eats it and the cost is spread out to all the people with insurance. IMHO that is one reason medical costs are the way they are along with litigation from nuisance lawsuits.

 

[exSW]

I'll say this, being in shape pays. I have one standout issue. Nothing else is wrong. All my tests came back good, unheard of for a 53 year old man. Had them scratching their heads I did.

 

[Firewood Bandit]

". Ya think they don't make a killing on colonoscopyies?

They just want to see your chocolate speedway of love.

 

[Brian Simonseth]

I'll say this, being in shape pays. I have one standout issue. Nothing else is wrong. All my tests came back good, unheard of for a 53 year old man. Had them scratching their heads I did.

Good for you

I'm 54

Mine started when after I fell some hemlock and was walking across one log and the bark came off and landed right were my spleen was so when the open me up to take that out they found cancer. But it didn't help that I chewed Copenhagen for 37 years

 

[exSW]

That's fine and well and I don't believe anyone should be required to purchase anything they don't want to. However say for instance you were involved in any kind of accident, whether it be car or say chainsaw related????

Within a day tens of thousands of dollars worth of bills could be accrued and the medical care provider MUST care for you. In the event this financial obligation can't be met the hospital eats it and the cost is spread out to all the people with insurance. IMHO that is one reason medical costs are the way they are along with litigation from nuisance lawsuits.

BUT. Why should people be held hostage to health care costs that are dictated? People like Randy are a positive force in the economy. Why should the non competitive Health care system be allowed to completely hijack that economic benefit? Why should UPMC(a non profit) be able to take over the US Steel building,pay their CEO six million dollars a year and also attach the home of some poor person that's worked their whole life and that's all they have? We essentially have socialized medicine it's just in private hands.

 

[Mastermind]

That's fine and well and I don't believe anyone should be required to purchase anything they don't want to. However say for instance you were involved in any kind of accident, whether it be car or say chainsaw related????

Within a day tens of thousands of dollars worth of bills could be accrued and the medical care provider MUST care for you. In the event this financial obligation can't be met the hospital eats it and the cost is spread out to all the people with insurance. IMHO that is one reason medical costs are the way they are along with litigation from nuisance lawsuits.

I get what you are saying......I really do. But......why should it cost tens of thousands of dollars for a few days of health care?

The system is broken.

 

[exSW]

The Amish sects have their own healthcare funds. Some of the bigger sects funds run into the 10's of millions.That gets peoples attention.They go shopping. They force the Hospital groups to compete for their CASH.

 

[Ironworker]

Everyone blames everyone for high medical bills and come up with all kinds of reasons for high medical bills. It's not the insurance companies and it's not our politicians or our laws, it's greedy doctors taking advantage of a system, plain and simple.

 

[Guido Salvage]

My daughter's appendix ruptured and she spent 5 days in the hospital, the cost came to almost $52,000. Though I was unemployed at the time I was able to afford $575 per month for an individual family policy. My share of the hospital bill was around $3,300.

I spent nearly 14 years working for a Blue Cross plan. The year I joined them they lost $69,000,000, not all insurers are printing money.

 

[exSW]

Everyone blames everyone for high medical bills and come up with all kinds of reasons for high medical bills. It's not the insurance companies and it's not our politicians or our laws, it's greedy doctors taking advantage of a system, plain and simple.

The facts don't bear you out. Doctors earnings have been declining in real terms(adjusted for inflation) since the seventies. That's why you see more and more foreign Doctors.