Sticker Shock
ONE EVENING IN MAY, while I was
watching;(and;being;put;to;sleep;by);a;mets
game,;my;girlfriend;developed;sharp,;debili-tating;pains;so;severe;that;we;had;to;take
her;to;the;emergency;room.;my;girlfriend
is;prone;to;urinary;tract;infections,;and;we
thought that’s what this was.
We;arrived;at;Hoboken;University;medical
Center;at;9:00;pm;and;waited;behind;three
sets;of;people.;the;first;had;a;headache
and;was;given;what;i;can;only;assume;to
be;ibuprofen;and;sent;home.;the;next;was
told;she;had;a;stomach;bug.;She;was;out
in;ten;minutes.;the;third,;we;later;learned
was;addicted;to;pain;killers;and;would;in;a
rather;uncreative;and;unconvincing;manner,
conjure;new;ailments;every;so;often;while
subtly;suggesting;to;the;doctor;what;type;of
medication;he;thought;would;work;best;to
treat him.
When;we;were;finally;seen;by;a;doctor,
she;assured;us;that;she;would;get;to;the;root
of;the;problem;and;a;bombardment;of;tests
were;run.;Some;of;these;tests,;i’m;sure,
were to make sure that it was, as we sug-gested,;a;urinary;tract;infection.;it;turned;out
that;we;were;right;and;she;was;given;strong
antibiotics;through;an;iV.
it;was;now;close;to;midnight,;i;heard;the
mets;were;losing;8-0,;we;had;diagnosed;the
problem;and;i;assumed;after;she;was;done
with;the;iV;they;would;prescribe;some;more
antibiotics;and;we;would;be;on;our;way,;we
were;not.
the;doctor;recommended;a;Ct;scan;and;a
few;more;iV;treatments.;they;brought;us;to;a
room;where;we;stayed;until;4;am.;Now,;when
i;hear;from;a;doctor;that;it’s;time;for;a;Ct
scan,;i;go;along;with;it;because;i’m;suddenly
concerned;there;is;a;serious;health;problem
at;hand.;i;don’t;think;about;cost.;i;should
have.
Last;week,;my;girlfriend;received;a;bill;for
her;seven-hour;stay;at;the;hospital.;the;total
bill;for;the;short;stay;was;$16,448.40;–;the
cost;of;a;2012;Ford;Fiesta.;it;was;adjusted
down;to;$12,724.21,;80;percent;of;which
was;picked;up;by;Aetna;(but;only
because;she;is;25;and;still;on;her
mother’s;employer-sponsored;cover-age).;my;girlfriend;owes;the;hospital
$2,901.77.;Her;first;monthly;payment
begins;in;August.
Before;the;provision;in;PPACA
passed;that;allows;grown;children;to
stay;on;their;parents;plan;until;they
are;26,;she;was;on;COBRA,;where
her;mother;paid;$365;a;month;for
18;months;before;COBRA;was;ex-
hausted.;my;girlfriend;is;finishing;up
two;prerequisite;courses;before;she
plans;on;attending;medical;school
and;her;employer;does;not;offer
coverage.
Now,;it;is;obvious;that;the;prob-
lem;here;is;the;extreme;cost;of;the
care itself. I’m sure that the hospital
would;say;that;the;prices;are;meant;to;compensate;for;people;with;no
insurance;who;use;the;eR;as;a;primary;care;physician;(the;eR;charg-
es;alone;were;$9,146.00).;my;girlfriend;would;have;been;one;of;those
people,;pushing;the;cost;for;everyone;else;up,;was;it;not;for;PPACA.
the;carriers;are;not;to;blame;here.;i;am;sure;that;Aetna;was
not;happy;to;pay;the;$12,724.;the;problem;is;the;cost.;the;Ct;scan
charge;alone;was;$3,814.;What;is;it;running;on,;liquid;gold?;i;would
love;to;see;the;itemized;break-down;of;why;it;cost;almost;$10,000;just
for;my;girlfriend;to;be;prescribed;some;antibiotics.;Had;this;hap-
pened;at;nine;in;the;morning;rather;than;nine;at;night;it;would;have
been;handled;by;her;primary;care;physician;very;easily,;and;for;a
fraction;of;the;cost.
So,;is;there;no;solution;to;this;outrageous;pricing;just;as;there;is
no;solution;to;why;the;mets;are;horrible?;i;don’t;know;which;problem
is;more;difficult;to;fix.;What;if;the;carriers;took;a;page;from;major
League;Baseball;and;entered;into;some;type;of;collective;bargain-
ing;with;hospitals?;i;am;not;suggesting;a;strike;similar;to;1994;when
droves;of;fans;spent;the;summer;watching;minor;league;games.;i;am
suggesting;a;cohesive;and;stern;approach;that;lets;hospitals;know
that;these;prices;are;unsustainable;for;the;carriers;and;the;patients.
What;about;a;medical;loss;ratio;for;hospitals;that;throttles;the;cost
of;medical;care;to;a;certain;percentage;over;the;cost;to;provide;said
care?
these;are;just;ideas;from;an;exhausted;baseball;fan;in;the;middle
of;summer;but;these;prices,;they;will;continue;to;exhaust;carriers
and;patients;throughout;the;year;and;for;years;to;come;if;a;change
does;not;take;place.
Michael K. Stanley
