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From Sun-Sentinel:

A patient went to the hospital for chest pains from blocked blood vessels in her heart. She checked in Aug. 11, had surgery and went home in two days. The patient is 84 years old.

Then came the bill. Among the line items: $70.57 each for water pills that cost her 7 cents a piece; $73.39 each for heart pills that cost her a dime; and $76.22 each for Lipitor cholesterol pills that she gets for free from the manufacturer.

plus, the 3 cent pill marked up to $71.28.


The hospital claims it must charge these amounts because it is 'the rule'.

what kind of 'rule' is this?

anyone else have such experiences dealing with our health care system?

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The difference between a Sea Story and a Fairy Tale is that a Fairy Tale starts out 'Once Upon a Time..' and a Sea Story starts out 'This is no Shit...'

(export version only, some restrictions may apply, some assembly required, not valid where the sun don't shine...

if you live in the states of Poverty, Darkness or anywhere outside of The Blessings of Civilization Trust, Inc...other rules may apply)

I just found the bill for my birth, in 1948, while cleaning out my mom's things.

The total bill was $56.50 for three days stay, which included $.50 listed as drugs. I was born with six fingers on each hand and that total included cutting off my extra fingers.

Health & happiness to all................

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It's not the size of the wand that put the rabbit in the hat, it's the magic in it!!!

Short answer YES I seen my bills in detail and the common stuff prices are like you stated.

But then again I needed a set of crutches, ( could not find any at before I went in to hospital) the nurses told me it would be very expensive to buy them at the hospital . and my insurance would not cover them unless purchased in Wis ( was in MINN at Mayo ). So the nurses called around for me at various places Wal mart etc etc, but every one was out. So I ended up getting new crutches at the hospital store, Price 25 bucks-- was i shocked-- Wally World wanted $ 39 for the same thing ( they were out also) So I guess I lucked out on the one thing Insurance did not cover

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My best friend was the clock on the wall, and he turned out not to be much of a friend in the end

Then there's the difference between the "rack rate", the rate the insurance company has agreed with the doctor or hospital to pay, and what the patient ends up paying. It's not uncommon for me to see a bill like this:

Doctor office visit.....$200
Ins. co. adjustment....$90 ("exceeds maximum allowable charge of $110")
Ins. co. payment.......$95
Patient balance.........$15

If you're without insurance, you pay the $200, but if you have insurance, they've prenegotiated a $90 discount. I've always wondered what happens to that $90, from an accounting standpoint...does the doctor claim it on his/her taxes as a loss?

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"Buy the ticket, take the ride." --Hunter S. Thompson

Wow, your insurance pays well.

Here's an actual explanation of benefits from one of my doctors:

Doctor office visit.....$110.00
Ins. co. adjustment....$62.01
Ins. co. payment.......$17.99
Patient co-pay.........$30.00

No kidding. I actually do have really good health insurance, for which I am extremely grateful.

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"Buy the ticket, take the ride." --Hunter S. Thompson

This lunacy is so pervasive.... why can't we get back to reality on this?

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Why settle for just one woman when you can enjoy them all?