I may have mentioned here a few weeks ago, I was taking my daily walk around the hood, tripped on the uneven sidewalk and did a face plant on the concrete. Ended up in the ER getting a gash on my chin stitched up.
The numbers went around and around, and the bill showed up today.
Total billed to Medicare (conventional Medicare, not MA) $2,641.87 (two stitches, tetanus shot)
Medicare paid $2,384.86
Balance due for me: $257.01
Seems that big gummit, one size fits all, insurance, fits me just fine.
Yes, I know those Commies across the river can do a lot better, but, considering I live in Shinyland, I figure I came out OK.
The sprained wrists, forearms, elbows, and shoulders, are slowly improving.
Steve, Iâm ashamed of you for going to the ER. You could have stopped off at Rite-Aid for butterfly âstitchesâ and got a tetanus shot while you were there. Could have saved the taxpayers and yourself a bundle.
Wendy
P.S. I hope you feel better soon. Torn tendons can months to heal.
In a non-litigious, sensible world: a directed medical history (concussion? seizure? loss of consciousness? allergies? last tetanus shot?) cleaning you up, local anesthetic, two stitches placed by a PA/NP (ten minutes, tops), dressing, and a TDaP ($60 wholesale, i.e. a ten-dose multivial for $565) - should cost about, oh, $260 cash.
I had a similar experience with some physical therapy awhile back. Saw the PA once for assessment and plan. Six, thirty-minute sessions with a PT aide (who was running at least one other patient - often two more - simultaneously). Sometimes this aide was a student, as in: no cost to the PT owner. Discharged with a handout and maybe fifty cents of rubber tubing.
Professional time, overhead, etc: oh, maybe $1K worth in a sensible world.
""I had a similar experience with some physical therapy awhile back. Saw the PA once for assessment and plan. Six, thirty-minute sessions with a PT aide (who was running at least one other patient - often two more - simultaneously). Sometimes this aide was a student, as in: no cost to the PT owner. Discharged with a handout and maybe fifty cents of rubber tubing.
Professional time, overhead, etc: oh, maybe $1K worth in a sensible world.
My copay: $997."
Was having some leg problems and balance not too got. Doc recommended PT
Had 3 months of bi-weekly sessions, 50 min long each time. 15 exercises. then a few more at the end. Half of them supervised directly, learned them and did them by myself a bit later but they nearby if should need help. Half shared PT person. Some required a PT person full time.
In a non-litigious, sensible world: a directed medical history (concussion? seizure? loss of consciousness? allergies? last tetanus shot?) cleaning you up, local anesthetic, two stitches placed by a PA/NP (ten minutes, tops), dressing, and a TDaP ($60 wholesale, i.e. a ten-dose multivial for $565) - should cost about, oh, $260 cash.
I had a similar incident a few years back in a medium size city in Germany. They had me come back for a followup but I didnât need a tetanus shot. I only had my US workplace insurance which would reimburse me after following complicated and time consuming rules. As far as the German clinic was concerned, I was completely uninsured. So they charged me the full price, $60. Even $200 seems excessive by that standard.
Steve, Iâm ashamed of you for going to the ER. You could have stopped off at Rite-Aid for butterfly âstitchesâ and got a tetanus shot while you were there. Could have saved the taxpayers and yourself a bundle.
My neighbor asked if I could heal up on my own. I said âI paid for Medicare. Iâm going to use it!â
P.S. I hope you feel better soon. Torn tendons can months to heal.
My 50th high school reunion, postponed from last year due to the plague, is a week from this Saturday. Fortunately, I had no intention of dancing the Frug anyway.
I forgot to mentionâŚwhy not sue the owner of the sidewalk in small claims court?
After I had healed up for 2-3 days, I walked back to where I had tripped, took some pix of the uneven sidewalk, and the dried drip of my blood, and called the township office that is responsible for sidewalks. Explained how their dangerously uneven sidewalk put me in the ER. She took my name and phone number and said another person would call me.
I never received the call, but, when I started walking the loop again, a week later, I saw that the township inspector had been on that block of sidewalk, marking 17 trip hazards, and the blocks of sidewalk that need to be replaced, with fluorescent pink paint.
It crossed my mind to call back, and say âIâm gratified your inspector agrees with me how dangerous that sidewalk is, but what about my bills and sufferingâ, but I didnât.
Of course, when I hit, I heard my teeth bang together. I have a dentist checkup scheduled for next month. If he finds some crack crowns, that need to be replaced, at $1,000 each, I might give restitution another think.
Yes, I know those Commies across the river can do a lot better, but, considering I live in Shinyland, I figure I came out OK.
The sprained wrists, forearms, elbows, and shoulders, are slowly improving.
Steve
Well now, my family doctor booked me for a Pulmonary Function test some months back, finally got in today. I drove down and arrived half an hour early so I could find parking and my way around a big hospital building. No problem with parking and checking in. Testing took about 30 minutes. The results will be reviewed by a specialist and the report should be on my docs desk next week.
It was not âfreeâ ⌠I had to pay C$3.00 for parking and of course the gas both ways. }};-@
This is almost certainly related to asthma I picked up while living 15Km downwind from a Lignite power plant for 13 years.
In a non-litigious, sensible world: a directed medical history (concussion? seizure? loss of consciousness? allergies?..
As it happens, the nearest ER is in the same building, owned by the same hospital, as the clinic my GP works in. I had brought along my GPâs card, as well as the Medicare card, so they had all my medical records going back years at their fingertips. (they said last tetanus shot was in 2009, which sounds about right.) After they stitched me up, I walked down the hall and made the appointment in the clinic to have the stitches removed.
two stitches placed by a PA/NP (ten minutes, tops),
The guy who cleaned the wound and stitched me up was a real DO type Doctor. Assistants took the vitals, gave the tetanus shot and smeared some antiseptic cream on the wound after it was stitched up.
As far as the German clinic was concerned, I was completely uninsured. So they charged me the full price, $60. Even $200 seems excessive by that standard.
butButBUT, theyâre Commies! We were taught, at an impressionable age, âbetter dead than redâ, right?
/sarcasm
