My Medical Procedure Bill

I received a bill today for the arthroscopic surgical procedure I had on my knee. I think I need surgery for my heart now, because that bill gave me a heart attack. It's not because I have to pay the bill. I don't. I have medical insurance that will pay all but the $100 co pay for that operation. But the bill is an outrage and reflective of the problems of health costs in the United States. Too, I am certain it is a typical bill and thought the insurance company will receive huge discounts for the bill, had I been uninsured I would be forced to pay the entire cost...which was....get ready for this and remember it was a same day surgery (I was in at 6:30 am and out at 4 pm that day)..the total bill for the surgery is $ 19, 771.14. And that does not include the charges going to the physician who did the surgery. Add perhaps, $5000.00 more for that!

The bill is an un itemized bill. That is, specific charges in the categories for which the patient is billed are not shown. Federal law says that if I request an itemized bill I can get one. That would be interesting to see. Often hospitals add charges that are unjustified because the patient did not need the drug or procedure that was anticipated being used. Only by looking at each item and each charge for it (charges for an aspirin tablet, for example, can be more than $50 per tablet...better not have a headache while recovering from surgery) does the patient actually know what he or she is being charged.

You can bet if an uninsured patient got the bill I received today, that request would be made. The fact is though, most people have at least modest to good health insurance coverage that make their interest in seeing an itemized bill a minimal interest. Too, hospitals don't like to list their charges in itemized form because so many are outrageously high.

Here are some of the categorical charges listed on my bill.
Room Charges $2,294.40
Pharmacy $2,406.40
Medical Supplies $4,568.65
Operating Room Service $6,569.81
Therapy Charges $455.20 (I received not therapy the day of the operation because it can not start until a week later...unless the crutches they gave me to use is "therapy")

There is more, some categories about which I am clue less. But you get the idea. American medical care is skilled and I am lucky to have access to it, but the expense is far more than it be should be. Now I am curious to see the operating physician's bill, which has yet to arrive but surely will bring another heart attack.

Hmmmm In thinking about this maybe this bill has a good side. I think that hospital and surgeon must have huge incentive to keep me alive and well. With charges like that for same day procedures I am practically a gold mine to them.