US COVID-19 survivor receives $1.1 mn hospital bill

[Fishrrman]

https://news.yahoo.com/us-covid-19-survivor-receives-1-1-mn-221520646.html

US COVID-19 survivor receives $1.1 mn hospital bill

Washington (AFP) - A 70-year-old American man who nearly died of COVID-19 has been billed a heart-stopping $1.1 million for his hospital expenses, the Seattle Times reported Saturday.

Michael Flor was admitted to a hospital in the northwestern city on March 4, and stayed for 62 days -- at one point coming so close to death that nurses held up the phone so his wife and children could say goodbye.

But he recovered and was discharged on May 5 to the cheers of nursing staff -- only to receive a 181-page bill totalling $1,122,501.04, he told the newspaper.

That includes: $9,736 per day for the intensive care room, nearly $409,000 for its transformation into a sterile room for 42 days, $82,000 for the use of a ventilator for 29 days, and nearly $100,000 for two days when his prognosis was life-threatening.

More at URL above...

[Smokin Joe]

What? His Obamacare didn't pick up the tab?

[PeteS in CA]

Dis the Frogistanis at AFP mention this? https://www.medicare.gov/medicare-coronavirus

Medicare covers all medically necessary hospitalizations. This includes if you're diagnosed with COVID-19 and might otherwise have been discharged from the hospital after an inpatient stay, but instead you need to stay in the hospital under quarantine.

And if the guy is instead covered by an employer's health plan, those also cover Covid-19 hospitalizations/treatment. If the Frogistanis at AFP didn't mention those facts this article is shit-stirring deception.

[conservativevoter]

He could always make a payment agreement with the hospital... say, $5 month?  Hospitals are not lending institutions and cannot add finance charges.  If you don't like a bill that is handed to you, you can always ignore it; the hospital cannot take over your home or goods.

[catfish1957]

Not wanting to throw gas on this argument, but don't most (all?) plans still have catastrophic riders on their policy?  My plan as an annuitant does.  Not sure the guy could afford the $50-150/month extra, but just saying.

[Fishrrman]

I'll make a presumtuous statement:
It DID NOT COST the hospital $1.1 million to provide care for this fellow.
In truth, it cost much less.
MUCH less.

I wonder to what "the true cost" of his care totaled...?

"The difference" between the real cost and the billed cost is what's wrong with healthcare in America these days...

[Smokin Joe]

I'll make a presumtuous statement:
It DID NOT COST the hospital $1.1 million to provide care for this fellow.
In truth, it cost much less.
MUCH less.

I wonder to what "the true cost" of his care totaled...?

"The difference" between the real cost and the billed cost is what's wrong with healthcare in America these days...

Gee, I wonder what his bill would have been if there was some cheap, off the shelf, medication they could have given him early on to stop the virus from doing much damage?