Why YSK: Most hospitals send a summary bill (for example pharmacy: $5,000) hoping you’ll panic and just pay it. These are usually full of errors or huge markups. Before you pay anything, call the billing department and ask for an itemized bill with CPT codes. This will not only force a human to review it, but it also gives you the ability to spot BS. I tried this last year and the bill dropped by about 30% literally just because I asked, so don’t let them rip you off.
It still boggles my mind that Americans believe this is normal.
Because the word tax is a Boogeyman. Paying 2x as much for half the value is a good thing because the cheaper version is called a tax …
I don’t think it’s normal at all. I think it’s probably going to kill me one day because I have no interest in interacting with a system where they’re apparently just making shit up with 1000s of my dollars.
and if you complain about it, you are a bad American.
We’re a heavily propagandized nation.
A lot of people know our healthcare is fucked, but many have accepted it because they think the alternative is worse. Because they’ve been told so by healthcare lobbyists.
Recently I watched a moron complain that her elective fat loss injections are not going to be covered properly anymore. This is a person who is boasted on many occasions that they love their private health care and would never trade it for anything.
Here it is normal. Most of us do recognize that it shouldn’t be though.
we don’t. we know it’s insanity.
i personally have been trying to change it for 25 years. i’m tired.
I don’t know if it’s changed, but hospitals use to hang up on you if you ask for a quote on an operation. They don’t want you shopping around.