Monday, January 25, 2010

Why we need health care reform

I got my bill from UCSD. This isn't the full treatment, it's just the bill from the hospital. It doesn't include any of the doctors, and it doesn't include any of the rehab at Sharp.

Total billed: roughly $348,000
Negotiated price with my HMO: $250,000

This for just a case of pneumonia run wild. If you don't have insurance, how are you ever going to pay that bill? All you can do is declare bankruptcy and leave the hospital holding the bag. This is why we need to do something about how health care is handled.

Oh, and for those who scream about how much it'd cost, let me ask you this: how much does not covering everyone cost? Do you really think that if we don't cover them they won't get sick and won't use the emergency room? No, they're going to incur those bills anyway, they'll just leave the hospital holding the bag, and the hospital will raise their prices until the people who can pay are paying enough to cover it.

Oh, my cost? I pay $250, the insurance covers everything else.

No comments: