Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Health care

I just got the bill from the hospital for my little trip to the ER last month. People complain that health insurance is expensive. But health insurance is expensive because health care is really fucking expensive.

The bill for my visit to the ER and overnight stay came to $19,787. The good people at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield are picking up the tab for most of that, leaving me to pay $462 (which still sucks but isn't breaking the bank).

Twenty G for an overnight. I can't even imagine what my brother's two-week-plus stay is going to cost. No wonder people without health insurance go bankrupt.

My bill includes $3175 for a CT abdomen w/ cont, $309 for Suture general, $3400 for OR level 5/minute, $113 for Dermabond, $2735 for a CT Pelvis w/ cont, and $103 for a Warm touch blanket, among other things.

Yes, that's right. They charged $103 for a heated hospital blanked that I didn't even get to keep.