Hillary's Elbow Surgery = Lesson In Healthcare

[WeDidIt]

Ed Schultz just suggested something that makes a HUGE amount of sense.

Find out how much money is involved in the type of surgery that Hillary will undergo and use it as an object lesson in what such an injury will do to the average American without insurance.

[eleny]

1. I'm sorry that she winds up being the example

[csziggy]

6. Actually since Hillary wants healthcare for all, she'd probaby be happy

To be an example of what that type of injury can mean.

[RaleighNCDUer]

7. Actually, she wants health INSURANCE for all -

not the same thing.

[abluelady]

2. He Can Use My Costs

Broke my elbow in 2006--had outpatient surgery and the bills came to about $36,500.

[kjackson227]

8. And...

compare this cost with the cost of how much it would've been if it had been broken in Canada.

[lefthandedlefty]

9. That is what they charged

I bet the actual cost was less than 10 percent of that.

[abluelady]

10. And If I Didn't Have Insurance

I would have been three times the amount as an uninsured.

[Fumesucker]

3. I'm not..

If it can happen to one of the pampered elite, it can happen to anyone.

[undeterred]

4. Lets use my ankle instead.

I have no job and no health insurance. I twisted my ankle about a month ago and it still hurts. I didn't stay off my feet because I couldn't afford to miss work at a temp job which offered no sick days.

I thought it was a sprain and I did not seek medical attention, not that I could have afforded it. You have to commit to $75 to walk in the door, and thats without the xray. So I've done nothing.

It can't be too horrible because I am walking on it. But if there is a hairline fracture it will be a much bigger deal to fix it later than it would have been if I had insurance when it happened.

[goclark]

5. I sprained my ankle and the bill was $2000 at Emergency

I was in and out in 15 minutes, Dr. saw me for 5 minutes and the exray was 4 minutes.

Crutches were $50

Thankfully I had insurance.

[lefthandedlefty]

12. I neice stuck a peice of paper in her nose a few years ago

She was crying with her nose hurting my brother didn`t know what was wrong with her took her to the emergency room took the Dr.about 15 seconds to pull it out with a pair of tweezers,he got a bill a week later for $1500.00.

[glinda]

11. Even with Insurance. Screw all of them as we pay for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ThomWV]

13. Because she has insurance her cost will be much lower than an uninsured person's would be.

Insurance companies and their insured get negotiated discount rates, the uninsured get charged whatever the market will bear.

[goclark]

14. See my post for my sprained ankle above

I have BC/BS and Medicare and the bill was $2000 - they pd it but why would it even be that high.
It was one visit in an emergency room for about 15 minutes.

Someone said I should have gone to a Dr's office but it was a Saturday.