Hello everyone,
I suppose I just want to vent and I know everyone out here will know what I’m talking about. Thanks in advance for reading.
I have an AVM within my cervical spine and until the cyber-knife I was always told there was no surgical help for me. I am one of the millions here in the US without medical insurance so I haven’t seen a doctor since my last bleed in 2000. Well on June 6th, 2009 I suffered a minor bleed and lost consciousness for a bit and was taken to the ER. I played it off that I was OK because I knew there was no way I could cover the cost of the ER visit let alone a hospital stay.
The doctor of course said he wanted me to have a cat scan. I said I didn’t want it since it was only going to be of my brain and not my cervical spine and I have no insurance. I acquiesced in hopes of being discharged. The doctor let me leave a few hours later.
The cat scan didn’t show anything, as is typical because every time I’ve bled in the past cat scans never see it. Only MRI’s or MRA’s of the cervical spine show anything.
I got the bill for almost $2,500 which included the cat scan. I sent in all my financial records and the hospital wrote it off under their charity program. I was so relieved. I have all the other incidental bills like the ER doctor, the Radiologist, the Ambulance etc to contend with.
So now comes my vent… my mother insisted that I go to the local clinic and see a neurologist so I did. That doctor gave me a script for Lamictal which I haven’t filled yet, waiting for funds to get it. The Neurologist also ordered an MRI for my brain AND cervical spine. I called to set everything up and started asking about the cost. The hospital where I was scheduled to go for the MRI is the same one who gave me the write off for the ER visit but they don’t own, or whatever, the MRI machine another company does and they don’t have any charity programs and the cost for the MRI is $8,794.00 That doesn’t include the blood work and other x-rays that the Neurologist ordered.
I was supposed to go tomorrow, July 23rd but I called today and cancelled.
I mean, what’s the point? Yeah, they’ll be able to see how my AVM is, if it’s changed, grown or caused an aneurysm, but that’s the end of the line. I certainly can’t afford the angiogram ($40,000 or so last time I checked) that would be ordered prior to cyber-knife surgery and the surgery itself and then we don’t know how many times I’d have to be treated with the cyber-kinfe and on and on… you all know the drill.
I suppose I am simply feeling let down a bit because I wanted to know my current condition since I haven’t been seen about it in nearly 10 years.
I did find a site on the internet called Remake Health. They are brokers for medical testing. I don’t know how reputable they are but supposedly if I had the cash or a credit card I could get the MRI done for a fraction of the price, $1,450.00 here at one the local facilities. I called that same facility, asked about the price for the same MRI tests, and was quoted $3,919.00.
Now I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, but those are some huge differences in prices. $8,794.00 at the hospital, which doesn’t even own it and then $3,919.00 at a local imaging facility and the said same facility will supposedly broker out the same tests for $1,450.00.
Sounds like health insurance in a free market does give consumers the opportunity for lower priced health care. I really don’t think Obama’s national health care program is going to have a positive effect on that system. I think it’s going to push out all competiton.
What do you all think?
