It’s no wonder our health care system is in need of a total overhaul. Recently finding myself in need of care for a late-night injury, and an urgent care facility not being an option, I went to Shawnee Mission’s Prairie Star emergency room.
While the care I received was friendly and prompt, I was shocked to see exhorbitant charges for a tetanus shot, wound cleaning, two pain pills and one antibiotic tablet. Included in this total was the cost for the two pain pills and the high cost for the tetanus shot.
How can we continue to tolerate these inflated health care costs, and why is there such a reluctance to take action to correct these abuses? The long-term cost to our country’s financial health affects everyone.
Chris Miller
Olathe
Couldn't agree more! Why do insurance companies even exist?!
Posted by: Ae | March 21, 2012 at 05:31 AM
So kev, it appears you think a person suffering a heart attack should call around to get the best price before heading to the E.R.?
Posted by: LawyerInTraining | October 22, 2011 at 05:20 PM
As long as profit is figured into the overall cost of care - health care in America will be very expensive. Get rid of the insurance companies.....they don't provide one ounce of care - they do nothing but inflate the cost.
Medicare/single payer for all is way more cost effective. My parents love their Medicare plan and have received excellent care.
Posted by: Mudstump | October 22, 2011 at 01:50 PM
Not the complicated. Health insurance is sold state-by-state. That means that you or I can not go to Montana and buy health insurance and then live in Missouri. It doesn't matter that the Montana plan may offer more or cost less. The simple fact is that healthcare transportability is not an option. As such, healthcare providers have monopolies.
Blue Cross Blue Shield in the East and Southeast, United in the Mid-West, Kaiser in the Southwest and West Coast and Sierra in the mountain west. Because of these monopolies the healthcare insurance company negotiates "discount rates" to providers (hospitals and doctors). They say, "Listen, we will pay you 45cents for every dollar you bill. Got it?" And the healthcare provider has two choices. They can either accept their terms or reject their terms. If they reject their terms then that provider is excluded from all plan participants.
However, healthcare providers figured out that if they needed $1 than rather than bill $1 they would bill $3. That way, when the discount kicked in they would be even. That is how you end up with a $15 tetanus shot and $5 band aid. If you are not covered you are still billed at that rate but you just don't have the negotiated discount (BTW: If you ask for the discount they will apply it even if you don't have insurance, but most people don't ask).
The answer is exactly what whispering is making fun of. Free Markets. Allow the purchase of healthcare insurance across state lines. That will force the providers to compete nationwide for plan participants and it will also limit their influence on provider pricing.
Posted by: Big Daddy | October 21, 2011 at 02:48 PM
US healthcare/insurance: "pay me what I want or you will die"!!!!
Who can argue with that?
Someone from the right will appear shortly to suggest Chris shop around for a cheaper ER next time. Free markets!!!
Posted by: whispering_to_kc | October 21, 2011 at 12:27 PM