Comments on: A Tale of Two Hospitals: How Sugar Water Helps Make Christmas Sad

By: hweav

hweav — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:36:26 +0000

Ernesto,

I want to wish you and your son and your family well. Thank you for your story.

By: hweav

hweav — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:36:26 +0000

Ernesto,

I want to wish you and your son and your family well. Thank you for your story.

By: xfree9

xfree9 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:38:33 +0000

Real health reform must bring together the patient and the health care provider in more ways

Yes. One of the biggest problems is that most people are unaware or only faintly aware of the real "costs" to procedures and drugs. Giving more power to the person who needs care is the answer to this reform. But unfortunately the government has regulated so much that this is difficult to do unless you're wealthy.

By: xfree9

xfree9 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:38:33 +0000

By: xfree9

xfree9 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:37:03 +0000

Sad story, really. It's too bad that the paradigm in our country of paying for services is that somebody else pays all or a portion of it, and then has incentive to rip those of us off who need the actual care. Health insurance is a nasty paradigm, and as stated above by another commenter, the reforms currently in Congress just build on this paradigm.

Wouldn't it have been nice to have more options for hospitals? Wouldn't it be nice if those hospitals had to compete for giving better care to your family? Wouldn't it be nice if the costs of things went lower and lower because more companies would have to compete to sell you their life-saving or life-sustaining or life-enhancing products? For that matter, it would be nice to have more health insurance options that were not tied to employment but to what people needed, wanted, and could afford.

Part of the problem is that hospitals have every incentive to charge as much as they want because others are willing to pay for it. Eliminate a third-party payer for most things, and they'll have to compete by lowering their prices and costs. So would drug companies. But thanks to massive regulation of the industry, Big Pharma and Big Insurance enjoy protections from the government to rip us all off and permit hospitals to charge as much as they want.

It's one thing to say "for love of money," and that is indeed a problem. But there's also the issue of what permits such love of money to exist. A partial answer is the government (both state and federal).

By: John Nelson

John Nelson — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:50:57 +0000

I am a radiologist and sad to say that all too often I see colleges looking for ways to “maximize” their reimbursement. Sad that the ultimate price is paid by you and your child for this greed. I agree with one of the comments that you should go to the hospital ask to speak with the radiologist who read the scan and ask for a reduction in the charge. Real health reform must bring together the patient and the health care provider in more ways, so that no one is isolated in the process of care.

By: kiddoc

kiddoc — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:49:02 +0000

I'm a pediatrician and I work at a large academic children's hospital. This tragic story is far from uncommon. Families of children with special needs face numerous challenges in caring for their children - it doesn't help when this is complicated by a terrible insurance policy.

Will your income qualify you for Medicaid or CHIP? Many kids who are eligible for coverage simply do not know about it (80% of uninsured kids are eligible for one of the two programs).

Also, some states also have programs for children who have special needs. Have you spoken to Seattle Children's about possible insurance options? Many children's hospitals have insurance experts ... who work on issues such as this.

We can talk forever about the details of this ... but ... people should not be dependent upon charity to care for their children. They should not have to go without Christmas either. Children, their education, health, etc., should be our priority as a society.

By: A Tale of Two Hospitals: How Sugar Water Helps Make Christmas Sad | The Just Life

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:15:33 +0000

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By: NC77

NC77 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:52:41 +0000

Have you asked the people in your fellowship for help? Almost every local church I have been to over my Christian life has done this (i.e., asking others to give to help meet the needs of those who need it within the fellowship) and the giving was always amazing. It may not be enough to cover all your medical expenses, but may very well help you visit your parents this Christmas. Just a suggestion in peace and love.

By: scat

scat — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:26:40 +0000

For one thing, if everyone has insurance,then hospitals don't have to resort to “creative billing” to cover the costs of uninsured patients.
Also, in countries wehre the government sets a ceiling on what they will pay for a procedure, the midical providers have miraculously found a way to do the procedure within those requirements. In Japan they now can do an MRI for $99 and still make a profit because the government refursed to pay $1500 previously charged.

By: Barry B Lillie

Barry B Lillie — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:54:00 +0000

Just a practical reminder that while hospitals may want to dictate what the actual bill is, we are not obligated to accept their version. The two MRIs in particular are something you could negotiate with the hospital. Large HMO's and other institutional buyers of hospital services negotiate much lower prices for everything in comparison to what the hospital charges individuals. My HMO regularly pays only 25 to 35 percent of what the hospital bills individuals. Maybe that is what we should all offer to pay…

By: pooch

pooch — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:24:34 +0000

Please explain which provisions in either the current House or Senate Healthcare Reform Bills would remedy the problems and injustice you have experienced.

By: TN_Horseman

TN_Horseman — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:06:11 +0000

Ernesto, I have experienced similar problems with some hospitals, especially the ridiculous overcharges. The unfortunate thing is that I see nothing in the bills in congress to address such practices, just pass the costs on to those who will pay the bills.

I will concede that part of the over billing is to make up for the underpayments from medicare, medicaid, and the uninsured. And that may go away with universal coverage. What needs to be done is the bad hospitals need to be exposed by dissatisfied consumers like you and then people will hopefully go to other care centers.

By: SisterMarie

SisterMarie — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:49:42 +0000

Ernesto, after a weekend filled with the TV blaring spokespersons from the health insurance agencies decrying reform legislation, reading your post makes me want to scream. These well-dressed men and women care only about their bottom line – not about your son.

By: ckgmail

ckgmail — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:31:42 +0000

Ernesto, I hope your US Representative and your senators see this. It is real live stories like this one that can make a difference. I also hope you will send it as an opinion piece to whatever newspapers will publish it. Try the Amarillo Globe News in Amarillo, Texas–a very conservative newspaper in a very conservative (I would say right wing) area. You probably will need to make the two hospitals anonymous for the newspapers' fear of being sued. You can send it electronically to the Amarillo paper.

Charles Kiker, Tulia, Texas