How a lot does a two-night hospital keep in Washington actually value?
A few months in the past, I developed chest pains and was flown from Bainbridge Island to Harborview Medical Middle in Seattle. I spent two nights on the hospital, was examined for attainable coronary heart assault or stroke, and my insurance coverage firm, Kaiser Permanente, was billed $95,487 for transportation, exams, treatment, and a “semiprivate room.”
Nevertheless, Kaiser coated $17,346.74 and I paid $550. Why was there such an enormous discrepancy between the costs and the precise cash paid?
Once I grew to become sick, my spouse known as 911 and an ambulance took me on a 5-to-10-minute journey to the helicopter touchdown pad. Kaiser was charged $5,966.20 for that ambulance transport however paid solely $822.97.
Whereas being flown from Bainbridge to Harborview, I nervous concerning the transportation value. May this flight be as a lot as $1,000? Will Kaiser pay for this deluxe transportation service?
The invoice for this quick helicopter journey was a bit greater than the $1,000 I anticipated: I used to be billed $40,986. Then, my insurance coverage was billed $34,932.50 and in the end paid $4,516.22 — about 12% of the asking worth.
I went by way of numerous mind and coronary heart exams, together with a really painful chemical stress take a look at. No issues had been discovered, and I pleaded to be launched. I missed a peaceable evening of sleep, curled up with my cat. I felt good, had no chest pains and I walked the hallways of the Norm Maleng Constructing for train and loved the artwork shows.
The rationale that I didn’t get a lot sleep in my $6,350.39 “semiprivate room” was that my roommate was somewhat stressed and had the nurses coming and going a lot of each nights. I used to be billed an extra emergency room service value of $2,639.50 per evening. The whole room fees billed to Kaiser had been $6,350.39 per evening. Was my roommate’s insurance coverage firm additionally charged $6,350.39?
Sadly, many of the exams the medical doctors thought of obligatory ran additionally into the 1000’s of {dollars}. The invoice for the CT scan, as an illustration, was $19,422.98. The 30-minute chemical stress take a look at, which I assumed would absolutely kill me, was billed at $8,210.70. The cost for an EEG was $1,434.94.
The pharmacy service fees had been $2,457.45. At dwelling, I take 4 prescription capsules every single day at a price of about $3. Since pharmacy companies weren’t itemized, however lab work and numerous exams had been itemized, I’m curious to know what precisely Kaiser paid for. To be honest, non-pharmacy fees might have been added. However $2,457.45 for pharmacy companies?
I fondly bear in mind the evening I spent with meals poisoning in a Brussels hospital and it didn’t value me a single euro.
So, what precisely is the actual value of all the things a affected person is charged for? Does coronary heart imaging actually value $5,345.95? Do all hospitals cost about $1,794.04 for an MRI and do all insurance coverage corporations pay about solely 15%?
Regardless of this surrealistic relationship between companies billed and precise cash paid, I thank the working workers at Harborview for his or her care. Throughout my two-night, three-day keep, all of the medical doctors and nurses had been nothing however useful and confirmed concern with my psychological and bodily well-being. I’m lucky to be insured, and I’m very grateful that almost all the things we customers purchase has a set worth.