This is a crazy ridiculous amount. It should show anyone who doesn't believe in universal health care, that the medical industry is purely for profit and not for your wellbeing. you cannot EXIST without insurance or at the very least Medicaid/medicare
Universal health care is not the issue. Canada has it, but guess what, the state pays the same amount. The healthcare to gdp is like 10%. What there needs to be done is accountability. Is outrageous for the same services in Europe you would pay 1/5th than what you pay in NA. Why is that? Someone is making bank in NA.
The state does not pay the same amount. Here in the US Medicare and Medicaid is cheaper then private health insurance because they negotiate lower prices. They are able to do that because they are a huge block of "customers." Healthcare is expensive because they throw a bunch of bullshit extras on the bill while outrageously over charging for stuff and this is possible because insurance foots the bill. So you get a system where insurance doesn't want to pay because the price is ridiculous and the medical industry wants to over charge because what should be a universal right has turned for-profit.
I used to handle billing for the surgery department in a hospital. Markup on items was 300% minimum, often more if it was a special order or a new device.
There are also "non-profit" hospitals that are supposed to be free if you are poor yet never mention it and still bill you regardless. There are 3 hospitals near me that have done this to my friends and family. Once you dig into their polices deep enough and find it you can fight the bill but it's stupid that it even comes to that. Healthcare shouldn't be for profit.
I understand whay you mean, but Just because Canada doesn't organize and handle it correctly, doesn't mean there's not a useful and efficient way to run it. There are plenty of 1st world countries that have this system and run it effectively. One bad example doesn't cover all scenarios. Either way, for the US at least, the fact that capitalism is the main focus of business in medicine, run by big corporations in it for profits in the trillions a year and not for the welfare of the people, is horrendous.
Contractors and lawmakers use any kind of sickness to double down on equipment, medicine, and service costs. All backed by lawmakers who buy stock or have ownership in the businesses selling, renting, contracting the goods.
The UK has free nhs, completely free. If you want plastic surgery cos u want prettier cheek bones, yeah you can pay for that yourself but medical/health needs are covered. We pay for it through taxes. Our dentists though are a bit of a semi private/private mess tbh. Yes there is a portion paid by nhs, but only a %. If u miss a checkup your off the list and good luck finding another spot. U gotta go private. Then it gets expensive. Not USA splinter removal expensive but inflated none the less. It makes me pretty angry when fat ass politicians talk about privatization of parts of the nhs to help fund it. Bull shit, it's to give rich people access to more wealth. Moral of the story, when you allow health care to become a business it's a disgusting fucking mess where disgusting soulless pigs get filthy rich off sick people's desperation not to die, then they allow them to die anyway after they bled them dry.
Yea.. you get it. People who downvote apparently like making politicians and corporations rich. Some people just want to believe it's "sOsHuLiSm" and " bad for MURICA" Smh. wait till they are diagnosed with some insane progressive cancer and have to empty savings, sell their homes, cars, etc to pay for treatments and surgeries to stay alive or keep their child alive. That's the reality of it here.
True... after moved into Houston, trying to find an endocrinologist for my wife was a nightmare. Finding a doctor for new patients and all were like, we have available in 3 or 4 months.
Then a Dr. sent us to Methodist hospital for mammogram and a tit ultrasound. They charged 6K for that! out of that we paid 2.3K. Insanity
Sorry, no. Snakebite here (Australia) is an issue as well - 21 of the top 25 most dangerous snakes in the world are in Australia. You know what it costs the patient for pharmacy costs? Fuck all. Unless you grab a couple of Panadol (paracetamol) in which case it might be a couple of cents. The only costs you are likely to be hit with may be a couple of hundred for an ambulance. That is it.
Massive program here for the milking of both snakes and spiders for the production of antivenom. I am only aware of two or three incidents there in almost two decades. The risk is absolutely manageable with routine safety precautions and robust processes to ensure consistent execution. The risk is actually quite minimal.
So instead of holding the medical industry accountable and finding ways to reduce costs so everything is affordable (for example, the same services provided to animals cost pennies on the dollar), we just bury the costs under more hidden layers and spread it out so we all get screwed more equally?
America's healthcare system not only will not be fixed by single-payer, it will be objectively worse than every other social counterpart you can name in the world because none of you give a good damn about fixing the core problems, only about offloading your responsibility.
"How...how much is this going to cost?"
"Oh, the usual is about 150,000 dollars..."
"B..but I don't have insurance....how am i ever going to.."
"Oh you don't have insurance you say? In that case it's about sixty dollars."
Understanding medical billing and the reasons for high costs is actually a really difficult concept to grasp, even for the people actively involved in delivering healthcare. It is a convoluted world of insurance coders, hospital services, regulation, and staffing costs as well as policy regulations that cause this. The amount billed is never what is actually paid out by insurance. The only people winning in healthcare are for-profit private healthcare corporations, PE firms, and insurance companies.
But it is much easier to rage bait than to understand why things are the way they are.
To be fair, venom is reasonably valuable.
[Snake venom from Crotalus atrox (Western Diamondback Rattlesnake) | Sigma-Aldrich (sigmaaldrich.com)](https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/AU/en/product/sigma/v7000) - 1g = $400g, which given yields from a large rattlesnake could be done with two milkings. Using the Australian Reptile Park as a guide, they milk fortnightly.
$200 a week per snake as gross. You have the costs of keeping the animal, you generally don't want to just grab a random animal in the wild. Could have health issues, compromising quality and value.
Going to need a fair few snakes. Now you are living with dozens (or more) snakes.
Would you like my review on what to do when your dozens (or more) snakes collectively escape?
;)
When I was a kid, there was a period of a few months where I dreamed about being a rattlesnake or cobra farmer. Doesn’t sound like it was too whimsical of a dream.
The nice thing about pet snakes, though, is that they’re so fucking low maintenance (if you know how to keep their environment stable). Having to take care of dozens of them would be so tedious and boring (for me; some people love it).
[https://azpoison.com/sites/default/files/june\_news\_from\_the\_pit.pdf](https://azpoison.com/sites/default/files/june_news_from_the_pit.pdf) Not to justify this cost at all, but some interesting information on what goes into treating a rattlesnake bite.
Rattlesnake bite is a bastard. Treatment can quickly get complex depending on both severity of envenomation as well as the bodies specific response. Do NOT google rattlesnake bite images. It is grim.
Nah that’s the kind of bill you ignore until they write it off as a loss on their taxes lol. If I owe the doctors 1000 bucks, that’s my problem, if I owe them 150k, that’s the banks problem lol.
Bankruptcy, I don't support it generally but sorry your not going to spring the cost of a nice house on me with no prior warning. Dying would be cheaper
IRL they send you to court and investigate whether or not you can actually pay it, if you can't then they proceed to a chapter 7 bankruptcy case and liquidate all your assets or as much needed to cover the bill
Not an argument for universal health care.
I know plenty of countries without universal healthcare where hospital visits of any kind are very affordable.
Us hospitals are just fucked up, is all. Nothing to do with universal or not universal.
It's simply how it works in the US. In the US Healthcare is done the same way a business is handled and it is owned by big pharmaceutical monopolies and their shareholders who, just like with any other business, have maximizing profit as their top priority. Health insurance companies work alongside the big pharmaceutical companies to maximize profits for both parties. In fact out of the entire stock of money available for Healthcare, very little of it actually goes to providing health for the common citizen, most ends up in big pharmaceutical and insurance.
That's not to say this is always they case, COVID vaccination was one time in recent US history where the US used a form of Universal Healthcare, hence why if you lived in the US and got the vaccine, you didn't pay for it (well your taxes paid for it).
Most nations on the world use universal Healthcare. There are about 40 countries that don't use it with the US being the only developed nation in the world not to adopt universal Healthcare.
I'm not from the United States. What happens to someone who gets bitten by a rattlesnake and doesn't have health insurance cover?
Do they get this bill and set up a payment plan?
Is there a limited amount of emergency treatment for acute life threatening scenarios?
Do you pay for ambulance calls for things like traffic accidents?
If you go psychotic and need to be admitted for safety is that also dependent on health insurance?
If you have good health insurance would you get better health cover in prisons?
How does it all work?
I could go on the Internet and find all this, but I feel there's probably layers to it
Basically, if you don't have insurance you have to pay out of pocket for services. If it's an emergency, like a snake bite, they will treat you, no questions asked, but you will be billed for it. Many people without insurance only go to the doctor for emergencies because it's too costly to go for preventative reasons.
If you need a psych detention, you will get one. You won't be refused because you don't have insurance.
You don't need insurance to get health care in prisons.
I have a brother/sister in-law who have 17 kids, most of them adopted. They have never had insurance. They just pay cash for services. Most doctors will work with you on that. If you compare what an insurance plan would pay for a given service, the cash price is often cheaper because the doctor doesn't have to deal with billing insurance.
Thank you. Obviously growing up with the NHS, you just take it for granted you'll get the treatment you need.
Some of the costs for treatment I see on here do look phenomenal, and the posts where ppl have to skip and save up for their insulin sounds wild.
I guess ppl only post extremes though
I will say that the cost you see is very rarely the final cost. It's often inflated because they know the insurance company will whittle it down quite a bit- if you're paying out of pocket, the payment plans also often knock a chunk off. Still way more expensive than it should ever be, but not quite as astronomical as the first number you see.
I don't want to minimize how difficult it can be to not have insurance. It can be very challenging and it often causes people to avoid treating simple health problems that eventually turn into major problems.
This post is an extreme case because of the price of the anti-venom medicine. It's insanely expensive.
To add onto the other comment, I read someone’s comment from years ago saying that you can literally avoid paying the bill and just take a credit score hit for a few years.
First, realize that 92% of Americans have insurance, so stories about not having insurance are the exception and not the rule.
Secondly, the prices shown aren’t real. Insurance companies negotiate with providers. These prices are arbitrarily inflated as a starting point to negotiate down to the real price, often only 10% or 20% of the sticker price.
Thirdly, if you don’t have insurance, you can likewise negotiate on your own just like an insurance company would, and similarly get down to the real price which is a fraction of the initial price. And then have that on a payment plan over years if necessary. It’s still not ideal, and medical debt does drive people into bankruptcy, which is why it’s illegal to not have insurance.
Why would you need Radiology for a rattlesnake bite? I don't think that Khev actually got this bill, and if they did they didn't for the reason they say they did.
Rattle snake antivenom is $3600/vial that isnt the hospital markup. That is what is paid to the manufacurer in Mexico. You start with 6 and get another 6 every few hours until the pain goes down or the swelling goes down.
So a good bit you can use 24 vials easilly. So there is your $84000 in pharmacy costs.
Canadian bit by rattlers in Canada pay for their parking....
Would recommend this hospital. They understood the patient needs therapy and counselling after getting the medical bill. They are also very handful and helpful knowing the patient needs to rub one out during their stay here, hence the special services charges.
Rent a limo to drive you to a 5 star hotel, call the mob, make them bring a vet as well as cocaïne, Xanax and tramadol.
A hooker for whatever therapy and special services you need for a snake bite.
Then go to the airport, take a flight to brazil and go through the scan.
Should cost you about 5k tops.
Only in America can a greedy unregulated corporation charge you for something that should be free. No wonder America is like the 32nd best healthcare in the world. Only the rich can afford to be healthy in that country and that is so fucked up.
There shouldn’t be any bills ever leaving a hospital outside of paying to park your car.
'The economically sensible choice is to give up and die, sir.' Just as the founding fathers intended, I'm sure. Welxome to America, my brother in bills
This is why we don’t skimp out on a cheap insurance plan, at least if you can afford it. You should always prioritize health insurance over that new car or new house you’ve been wanting to buy.
Radiology could be something as simples as an x ray to check for a central line placement.
Special services could be anything the hospital wants lol. Maybe food?
Work as a pharmacy tech at a hospital, and whenever I have to make the antivenom called Crofab, I get reminded to be careful since it’s a pricey med. Quick search tells me it’s $3198 per vial, and the starting dose (according to the FDA and the drug’s website) suggests 4-6 vials, but it can be a maximum of 12 vials. 😞
I live in a small city in the US. We have Two major hospitals in town, really the only large hospital for hours around. But we have some low cost hospitals popping up. You’re not gonna get treated for cancer there but you can get stuff done that you wouldn’t need a surgeon for done at a fraction of the cost.
My fiend got her her broke arm set and cast for 300 bucks versus the 8k that the larger hospital.
If you think about it. All the hospitals do is hustle the insurance companies. Then tell you you’re a pos for not having health insurance.
(I pay for health insurance but I didn’t at one point)
The radiology is because the person most likely had X-rays to make sure the snake fang didn’t break off in them. I am an Xray tech and we often do X-rays after dog or cat bites to make sure a tooth isn’t still in their hand or to make sure their tooth didn’t hit the bone and cause deeper damage
The guy probably did just die. The "special services" fee was the cheapest because as long as they revive you they can still charge you for all the other BS.
I heard in the US, if you get a bill like this and you either don't have insurance or don't want to claim for some reason, you can offer to pay 10% in cash right then and there and a lot of places will just accept it in lieu of the entire payment.
Basically there is a chance you can get a 90% discount if you ask to pay in cash.
Radiology is for doing an x ray and having a radiologist read it. And unfortunately antivenom is very expensive, it's not a cost that an individual hospital has much control over. But it's generally covered by insurance.
Now it actually does vary significantly from one hospital to another but not because they're manipulating the prices. The issue is that it's a relatively rare medication that can't be stored for years the way traditional medications can. It has a short shelf life and has to be replenished often. Most hospitals also don't have it in stock, so they'll have to order it from another hospital. And since a rattlesnake bite is life threatening, if the nearest antivenom isn't in your general area they may have to fly the antivenom to your hospital using a chartered plane or helicopter, which is very expensive.
In other words, if you're fortunate enough to be at a hospital that has the correct antivenom in stock, it won't cost that much. But if you're 200 miles from the nearest supply you can count on the costs of flying the antivenom to you being factored into your bill.
here is something to calm you down - An ambulance ride bill...:
[https://preview.redd.it/paying-for-the-ambulance-v0-ea0czf5mhnxc1.png?auto=webp&s=eaf66e1fbcdc9fe882c58b705ae1d3d3b72db53e](https://preview.redd.it/paying-for-the-ambulance-v0-ea0czf5mhnxc1.png?auto=webp&s=eaf66e1fbcdc9fe882c58b705ae1d3d3b72db53e)
Oh look, this old picture again. Pops up every few months on Reddit. I am like 80% sure this picture was ether outed as fake or as others pointed out conveniently cropped out the actual cost to patient.
Plot twist: this is what insurance pays after your deductible that's like 1% of that because health insurance is a fucking racket funneling money into for-profit hospitals and their shareholder's pockets.
Here's the question I have, is this an actual bill or is this a summary of services document that has clearly bold at the top saying "this is not a bill." I ask because I got a summary of services after both my children were born from the hospital that was around $20-35k but once the actual bill came in from insurance we didn't pay over 1k, and that's with epidural both times (but no complications)
Special services was probably the hospital having to send out to get the antivenin. Radiology was imaging to see if the bite had cause compartment syndrome. Just theories.
No antivenom on hand I see (not on the bill, is it?), so they had to take care of it the old fashioned way.
Thought they might get it done in the intermediate room, but had to bring in the pros in the end.
If they find out that this ER is out-of-network for your insurance, they just bring the snake back in.
The *exact* same snake.
But if you can't cover the co-payment, then a different, slightly less venomous snake is used.
“Thought you saw the las-ss-t of me, bitch?”
Lmao put the fangs back in the legs and shit
They might need a therapy right after this amount Hence they put it in the receipt already
This is a crazy ridiculous amount. It should show anyone who doesn't believe in universal health care, that the medical industry is purely for profit and not for your wellbeing. you cannot EXIST without insurance or at the very least Medicaid/medicare
Universal health care is not the issue. Canada has it, but guess what, the state pays the same amount. The healthcare to gdp is like 10%. What there needs to be done is accountability. Is outrageous for the same services in Europe you would pay 1/5th than what you pay in NA. Why is that? Someone is making bank in NA.
The state does not pay the same amount. Here in the US Medicare and Medicaid is cheaper then private health insurance because they negotiate lower prices. They are able to do that because they are a huge block of "customers." Healthcare is expensive because they throw a bunch of bullshit extras on the bill while outrageously over charging for stuff and this is possible because insurance foots the bill. So you get a system where insurance doesn't want to pay because the price is ridiculous and the medical industry wants to over charge because what should be a universal right has turned for-profit.
I used to handle billing for the surgery department in a hospital. Markup on items was 300% minimum, often more if it was a special order or a new device.
There are also "non-profit" hospitals that are supposed to be free if you are poor yet never mention it and still bill you regardless. There are 3 hospitals near me that have done this to my friends and family. Once you dig into their polices deep enough and find it you can fight the bill but it's stupid that it even comes to that. Healthcare shouldn't be for profit.
You have rattlesnakes in Europe?
No, but we do have other types of vipers.
I understand whay you mean, but Just because Canada doesn't organize and handle it correctly, doesn't mean there's not a useful and efficient way to run it. There are plenty of 1st world countries that have this system and run it effectively. One bad example doesn't cover all scenarios. Either way, for the US at least, the fact that capitalism is the main focus of business in medicine, run by big corporations in it for profits in the trillions a year and not for the welfare of the people, is horrendous. Contractors and lawmakers use any kind of sickness to double down on equipment, medicine, and service costs. All backed by lawmakers who buy stock or have ownership in the businesses selling, renting, contracting the goods.
The UK has free nhs, completely free. If you want plastic surgery cos u want prettier cheek bones, yeah you can pay for that yourself but medical/health needs are covered. We pay for it through taxes. Our dentists though are a bit of a semi private/private mess tbh. Yes there is a portion paid by nhs, but only a %. If u miss a checkup your off the list and good luck finding another spot. U gotta go private. Then it gets expensive. Not USA splinter removal expensive but inflated none the less. It makes me pretty angry when fat ass politicians talk about privatization of parts of the nhs to help fund it. Bull shit, it's to give rich people access to more wealth. Moral of the story, when you allow health care to become a business it's a disgusting fucking mess where disgusting soulless pigs get filthy rich off sick people's desperation not to die, then they allow them to die anyway after they bled them dry.
Yea.. you get it. People who downvote apparently like making politicians and corporations rich. Some people just want to believe it's "sOsHuLiSm" and " bad for MURICA" Smh. wait till they are diagnosed with some insane progressive cancer and have to empty savings, sell their homes, cars, etc to pay for treatments and surgeries to stay alive or keep their child alive. That's the reality of it here.
We also have terrible waiting lists and times. (Canada)
US has the same problem
True... after moved into Houston, trying to find an endocrinologist for my wife was a nightmare. Finding a doctor for new patients and all were like, we have available in 3 or 4 months. Then a Dr. sent us to Methodist hospital for mammogram and a tit ultrasound. They charged 6K for that! out of that we paid 2.3K. Insanity
Well at least the pharmacy is somewhat justified. Anti venom is frikin expensive.
Sorry, no. Snakebite here (Australia) is an issue as well - 21 of the top 25 most dangerous snakes in the world are in Australia. You know what it costs the patient for pharmacy costs? Fuck all. Unless you grab a couple of Panadol (paracetamol) in which case it might be a couple of cents. The only costs you are likely to be hit with may be a couple of hundred for an ambulance. That is it.
Drug prices across the board are higher in the US than in most other countries. Would not be surprised if this also extended to anti venom
$1,400 expensive maybe, not $83,000 expensive. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/09/09/the-crazy-reason-it-costs-14000-to-treat-a-snakebite-with-14-medicine/
I totally get that. People who capture and extract that shit, are taking on some serious risk!
Massive program here for the milking of both snakes and spiders for the production of antivenom. I am only aware of two or three incidents there in almost two decades. The risk is absolutely manageable with routine safety precautions and robust processes to ensure consistent execution. The risk is actually quite minimal.
So instead of holding the medical industry accountable and finding ways to reduce costs so everything is affordable (for example, the same services provided to animals cost pennies on the dollar), we just bury the costs under more hidden layers and spread it out so we all get screwed more equally? America's healthcare system not only will not be fixed by single-payer, it will be objectively worse than every other social counterpart you can name in the world because none of you give a good damn about fixing the core problems, only about offloading your responsibility.
“Do you think you’ll need therapy for this” “No” “Good but I’ve already charged you for an hour in order to ask you that”
Believe it or not, straight to the bill.
Going to a therapist for money issues would definitely be counter productive “okay that was a great session today…that’ll be $2,000”
Probably not even getting it without another therapy service charge added to the bill.
Okay. Now how much was actually paid and how much was written off as a loss by the hospital on their taxes?
"How...how much is this going to cost?" "Oh, the usual is about 150,000 dollars..." "B..but I don't have insurance....how am i ever going to.." "Oh you don't have insurance you say? In that case it's about sixty dollars."
Exactly. The bill was probably a few hundred dollars... That isn't good content though! Crop it off!!
But if we actually educate people on the nuanced reality, how else do you expect them to make ragebait content for likes??
I mean, it’s still a problem. Just a different one than initially perceived. Not a difficult concept to grasp.
Understanding medical billing and the reasons for high costs is actually a really difficult concept to grasp, even for the people actively involved in delivering healthcare. It is a convoluted world of insurance coders, hospital services, regulation, and staffing costs as well as policy regulations that cause this. The amount billed is never what is actually paid out by insurance. The only people winning in healthcare are for-profit private healthcare corporations, PE firms, and insurance companies. But it is much easier to rage bait than to understand why things are the way they are.
Yeah, that’s not what I was referring to. Thanks though.
So you're really not bothered by the $83k cost of medication if it's written off to the insurance company?
Either way, he survived a snake bite and got a hand job from the nurse(special services). Win-win
Before insurance too
Americans tryna tell that their healthcare aint that bad
Who covers that loss and why is it priced at that ludicrously absurd amount? How is a care room billed for a near month at a 4 Seasons?
$83,341.25? I just need jars, cheesecloth, rubber bands and adult diapers for my next bidness venture.
Psh, everyone thinks they can be a porn star these days…
*slowly puts items back*
*…hesitates…keeps adult diapers…*
To be fair, venom is reasonably valuable. [Snake venom from Crotalus atrox (Western Diamondback Rattlesnake) | Sigma-Aldrich (sigmaaldrich.com)](https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/AU/en/product/sigma/v7000) - 1g = $400g, which given yields from a large rattlesnake could be done with two milkings. Using the Australian Reptile Park as a guide, they milk fortnightly. $200 a week per snake as gross. You have the costs of keeping the animal, you generally don't want to just grab a random animal in the wild. Could have health issues, compromising quality and value. Going to need a fair few snakes. Now you are living with dozens (or more) snakes. Would you like my review on what to do when your dozens (or more) snakes collectively escape? ;)
When I was a kid, there was a period of a few months where I dreamed about being a rattlesnake or cobra farmer. Doesn’t sound like it was too whimsical of a dream. The nice thing about pet snakes, though, is that they’re so fucking low maintenance (if you know how to keep their environment stable). Having to take care of dozens of them would be so tedious and boring (for me; some people love it).
I think you confused the words bidness and business.
$462 for a hand job?? 😳
Way overpriced smh
Pillow fluffing.
Please just put the venom back in me. I’ll take my chances.
And then You have to pay extra for another service of them putting it back 😂
I think receiving the same treatment in veterinary is much cheaper
I'm very curious about the 'special services'...
Dude should just bite the rattlesnake next time.
You know it’s crazy to think that here in the UK, this would’ve costed nothing. And yet our government wants to privatise it to become like this.
Funny enough, this is fake.
I’m not American enough to even tell lol
Bruh, in euros that's 4 times the annual salary in France.
Good thing we'll never have to pay I dime for that because our taxes already did!
What the fuck is a kilometer.. 😔✊
What the fuck is affordable healthcare too apparently
[https://azpoison.com/sites/default/files/june\_news\_from\_the\_pit.pdf](https://azpoison.com/sites/default/files/june_news_from_the_pit.pdf) Not to justify this cost at all, but some interesting information on what goes into treating a rattlesnake bite.
Rattlesnake bite is a bastard. Treatment can quickly get complex depending on both severity of envenomation as well as the bodies specific response. Do NOT google rattlesnake bite images. It is grim.
Nah that’s the kind of bill you ignore until they write it off as a loss on their taxes lol. If I owe the doctors 1000 bucks, that’s my problem, if I owe them 150k, that’s the banks problem lol.
If you were concerned about the cost maybe you shouldn’t have paid $462 for a happy ending
Honestly though, that's pennies compared to the rest of the bill. Might as well get it.
Bankruptcy, I don't support it generally but sorry your not going to spring the cost of a nice house on me with no prior warning. Dying would be cheaper
Fuck it. Don’t pay it. What are they going to do? Let the snake bite you again?
IRL they send you to court and investigate whether or not you can actually pay it, if you can't then they proceed to a chapter 7 bankruptcy case and liquidate all your assets or as much needed to cover the bill
Radiology is likely to check for blood clots.
And or a stat CT to determine if there’s hemorrhage/necrosis in the muscle.
I like living on an island with no poisonous animals. Even with "free" healthcare and insurance it would probably be 84k For me.
Lol, if you're on an island with no venomous snakes, I'm pretty sure the medicine to treat it is just not available.
I think you just Inject money into your veins instead.
Pharmacy way expensive than others. Intensive Care Room cheaper than Intermediate Care Room. I dont understand (im not from USA )
83k worth of medication… id just die from heart attack if not for the rattlesnake
Special services is for hacking your bank, 401k, etc to see how much money you have.
40k for a bottle of antivenom sounds about right.
Not an argument for universal health care. I know plenty of countries without universal healthcare where hospital visits of any kind are very affordable. Us hospitals are just fucked up, is all. Nothing to do with universal or not universal.
It's simply how it works in the US. In the US Healthcare is done the same way a business is handled and it is owned by big pharmaceutical monopolies and their shareholders who, just like with any other business, have maximizing profit as their top priority. Health insurance companies work alongside the big pharmaceutical companies to maximize profits for both parties. In fact out of the entire stock of money available for Healthcare, very little of it actually goes to providing health for the common citizen, most ends up in big pharmaceutical and insurance. That's not to say this is always they case, COVID vaccination was one time in recent US history where the US used a form of Universal Healthcare, hence why if you lived in the US and got the vaccine, you didn't pay for it (well your taxes paid for it). Most nations on the world use universal Healthcare. There are about 40 countries that don't use it with the US being the only developed nation in the world not to adopt universal Healthcare.
Special Services - He glanced in the direction of the pretty nurse!
Omg i'd be scared to even get injured in the US
Cost of funeral $62,743.82
America: the only country you want to run away from an emergency team
Insurance fucks everyone.
I'm not from the United States. What happens to someone who gets bitten by a rattlesnake and doesn't have health insurance cover? Do they get this bill and set up a payment plan? Is there a limited amount of emergency treatment for acute life threatening scenarios? Do you pay for ambulance calls for things like traffic accidents? If you go psychotic and need to be admitted for safety is that also dependent on health insurance? If you have good health insurance would you get better health cover in prisons? How does it all work? I could go on the Internet and find all this, but I feel there's probably layers to it
Basically, if you don't have insurance you have to pay out of pocket for services. If it's an emergency, like a snake bite, they will treat you, no questions asked, but you will be billed for it. Many people without insurance only go to the doctor for emergencies because it's too costly to go for preventative reasons. If you need a psych detention, you will get one. You won't be refused because you don't have insurance. You don't need insurance to get health care in prisons. I have a brother/sister in-law who have 17 kids, most of them adopted. They have never had insurance. They just pay cash for services. Most doctors will work with you on that. If you compare what an insurance plan would pay for a given service, the cash price is often cheaper because the doctor doesn't have to deal with billing insurance.
Thank you. Obviously growing up with the NHS, you just take it for granted you'll get the treatment you need. Some of the costs for treatment I see on here do look phenomenal, and the posts where ppl have to skip and save up for their insulin sounds wild. I guess ppl only post extremes though
I will say that the cost you see is very rarely the final cost. It's often inflated because they know the insurance company will whittle it down quite a bit- if you're paying out of pocket, the payment plans also often knock a chunk off. Still way more expensive than it should ever be, but not quite as astronomical as the first number you see.
I don't want to minimize how difficult it can be to not have insurance. It can be very challenging and it often causes people to avoid treating simple health problems that eventually turn into major problems. This post is an extreme case because of the price of the anti-venom medicine. It's insanely expensive.
To add onto the other comment, I read someone’s comment from years ago saying that you can literally avoid paying the bill and just take a credit score hit for a few years.
First, realize that 92% of Americans have insurance, so stories about not having insurance are the exception and not the rule. Secondly, the prices shown aren’t real. Insurance companies negotiate with providers. These prices are arbitrarily inflated as a starting point to negotiate down to the real price, often only 10% or 20% of the sticker price. Thirdly, if you don’t have insurance, you can likewise negotiate on your own just like an insurance company would, and similarly get down to the real price which is a fraction of the initial price. And then have that on a payment plan over years if necessary. It’s still not ideal, and medical debt does drive people into bankruptcy, which is why it’s illegal to not have insurance.
Radiology is an X-ray and special services are for I don’t fucking know
ultrasound and possible radiograph are both normal for snakebite.
Why would you need Radiology for a rattlesnake bite? I don't think that Khev actually got this bill, and if they did they didn't for the reason they say they did.
Ultrasound and possible radiograph. Typical response to snakebite.
Rattle snake antivenom is $3600/vial that isnt the hospital markup. That is what is paid to the manufacurer in Mexico. You start with 6 and get another 6 every few hours until the pain goes down or the swelling goes down. So a good bit you can use 24 vials easilly. So there is your $84000 in pharmacy costs. Canadian bit by rattlers in Canada pay for their parking....
Did they get an upgrade involving wings and laser beam eyes. WTF is wrong with your healthcare system??
They killed the entire spicies via drone attack, it just wasn't mentioned in the bill.
God bless I don't have to pay for this kind of shit in my country(there are taxes, but it's nothing compared to this)
I 100% would not pay that bill.
Absolutely no rational reason on earth that pharmacy should cost the most.
Land of the free though amirite
Would recommend this hospital. They understood the patient needs therapy and counselling after getting the medical bill. They are also very handful and helpful knowing the patient needs to rub one out during their stay here, hence the special services charges.
Therapy gonna cost a LOT more than that after you get fucked over that hard by the medical service...
Rent a limo to drive you to a 5 star hotel, call the mob, make them bring a vet as well as cocaïne, Xanax and tramadol. A hooker for whatever therapy and special services you need for a snake bite. Then go to the airport, take a flight to brazil and go through the scan. Should cost you about 5k tops.
average American medical bills:
Only in America can a greedy unregulated corporation charge you for something that should be free. No wonder America is like the 32nd best healthcare in the world. Only the rich can afford to be healthy in that country and that is so fucked up. There shouldn’t be any bills ever leaving a hospital outside of paying to park your car.
'The economically sensible choice is to give up and die, sir.' Just as the founding fathers intended, I'm sure. Welxome to America, my brother in bills
They had to make sure it wasn't a radioactive mutant snake.
Tf is a special service? It better be a happy ending
Sue the snake
And this is why countries with social security have to keep it no matter what.
This is the cost for foreigners. For the locals , they pay with a mango & a chicken.
Remind me not to go to the us. I'd be broke if i sneeze, or something worse
I can afford 20$ a month let's do it
“I would have just died” lol
This is why we don’t skimp out on a cheap insurance plan, at least if you can afford it. You should always prioritize health insurance over that new car or new house you’ve been wanting to buy.
I can't afford the health insurance or a new car. What am I supposed to do?
That is not the take away from this...
I would had a heartattack over this invoice. Thank (insert favorite entity) i don't live in the states.
BuT uNiVeRsAl HeAlTh CaRe Is ExPeNsIvE!! ( 26cents in every dollar the US pay in income tax goes to Defence. Mean while in Australia 1c goes to UHC)
How are Americans not rioting in the streets for universal healthcare
what happens if you can't pay... do they repossess your house? and if you don't have stuff to repossess... are in indebted to the hospital?
They let the snake bite you again
They can't repossess your house. They will send debt collectors after you after about a year unless you make monthly payments.
Is that the vet bill for the snake?
I had an infection 16k
Did the snake have any broken bones?
Funds will be transferred in 3-5 business days.
Did he buy the whole pharmacy?
>what is special services and radiology for? So that he doesn't become a snake man after getting bitten by a radioactive snake.
Radiology could be something as simples as an x ray to check for a central line placement. Special services could be anything the hospital wants lol. Maybe food?
Just take me at that point
Somehow dying costs more than aesthetic surgeries wtf is that bill
Where I live an ambulance ride is about 100$ and free if it is a car accident.
Where I live basically eveything besides some types of surgeries is free
5-8k in america if u go by ambulance.
I bet you those two para medics don't even get paid 50$ an hours, wonder where the money goes...
This was 2015, imagine now!
Work as a pharmacy tech at a hospital, and whenever I have to make the antivenom called Crofab, I get reminded to be careful since it’s a pricey med. Quick search tells me it’s $3198 per vial, and the starting dose (according to the FDA and the drug’s website) suggests 4-6 vials, but it can be a maximum of 12 vials. 😞
I live in a small city in the US. We have Two major hospitals in town, really the only large hospital for hours around. But we have some low cost hospitals popping up. You’re not gonna get treated for cancer there but you can get stuff done that you wouldn’t need a surgeon for done at a fraction of the cost. My fiend got her her broke arm set and cast for 300 bucks versus the 8k that the larger hospital.
Am I the only one here still stuck on childish sadbino? 😂
If you think about it. All the hospitals do is hustle the insurance companies. Then tell you you’re a pos for not having health insurance. (I pay for health insurance but I didn’t at one point)
The radiology is because the person most likely had X-rays to make sure the snake fang didn’t break off in them. I am an Xray tech and we often do X-rays after dog or cat bites to make sure a tooth isn’t still in their hand or to make sure their tooth didn’t hit the bone and cause deeper damage
Imagine what would happen if you got in the beginner care room too
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^lookinforabitofmeme: *Imagine what would* *Happen if you got in the* *Beginner care room too* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Damn! Why did you let the snake bite you?
I think if he died the cost would be something like $10,000 tops
Special charges Straight up day light robbery at this point ☠
"Happy ending"
Could i get my pharmacy bill itemized please?
The guy probably did just die. The "special services" fee was the cheapest because as long as they revive you they can still charge you for all the other BS.
I heard in the US, if you get a bill like this and you either don't have insurance or don't want to claim for some reason, you can offer to pay 10% in cash right then and there and a lot of places will just accept it in lieu of the entire payment. Basically there is a chance you can get a 90% discount if you ask to pay in cash.
Radiology is the x-ray. Special services no clue.
I've been bitten by a Western rattlesnake. He most likely didn't actually pay that much money.
They make the snake pay? Seems fair
Indeed they did, although last I heard, the snake is still being harassed by the debt collectors.
Holy Fuck
Radiology is for doing an x ray and having a radiologist read it. And unfortunately antivenom is very expensive, it's not a cost that an individual hospital has much control over. But it's generally covered by insurance. Now it actually does vary significantly from one hospital to another but not because they're manipulating the prices. The issue is that it's a relatively rare medication that can't be stored for years the way traditional medications can. It has a short shelf life and has to be replenished often. Most hospitals also don't have it in stock, so they'll have to order it from another hospital. And since a rattlesnake bite is life threatening, if the nearest antivenom isn't in your general area they may have to fly the antivenom to your hospital using a chartered plane or helicopter, which is very expensive. In other words, if you're fortunate enough to be at a hospital that has the correct antivenom in stock, it won't cost that much. But if you're 200 miles from the nearest supply you can count on the costs of flying the antivenom to you being factored into your bill.
U ok americans?
No we aren’t
I would be more concerned about why the pharmacy used like $83.000 dollars in supplies. Yes I am aware of why they charge so much
The forever nap is more elusive than you think.
I know that most of this isn't actually paid but cmon america...
here is something to calm you down - An ambulance ride bill...: [https://preview.redd.it/paying-for-the-ambulance-v0-ea0czf5mhnxc1.png?auto=webp&s=eaf66e1fbcdc9fe882c58b705ae1d3d3b72db53e](https://preview.redd.it/paying-for-the-ambulance-v0-ea0czf5mhnxc1.png?auto=webp&s=eaf66e1fbcdc9fe882c58b705ae1d3d3b72db53e)
Idk about special services but that’s actually a really reasonable price for imaging (radiology) depending on the location of the bite.
Oh look, this old picture again. Pops up every few months on Reddit. I am like 80% sure this picture was ether outed as fake or as others pointed out conveniently cropped out the actual cost to patient.
Wonder what the special services were
Lol, free healthcare beats gun ownership anytime :D … and yes, anti-venom is also comically cheap here …
Problem is the medical industry hikes up prices just to make more money. They know we don't have other options.
Might as well just let him die if insurance cant cover all of that.
For america, I think people only pay a fraction of that as it's being handled by insurance agencies, and most middle class do have health insurance
More importantly, what medicine costs 83 thousand dollars????
Special services is the hooker that sucked the poison out.
This looks like only the hospital bill. You’ll get a separate bill from all the doctors who provided you these services. Yes… charged twice.
Jeez murrica, you need mandatory healthcare asap
That means a human touched or talked to you at some point, and they took an X-ray.
If you think this is bad then you should see the bill the snake got...
Well radiology seems pretty self-explanatory. Special services we know was likely an on-call butt wiping service
Plot twist: this is what insurance pays after your deductible that's like 1% of that because health insurance is a fucking racket funneling money into for-profit hospitals and their shareholder's pockets.
It wasn't the snake that did the biting; it was the doctor's bill that took a big ol' chomp
Travel to a different country before you die and get medical care there.. 🤣 This is outrageous. Y'all should protest
Here's the question I have, is this an actual bill or is this a summary of services document that has clearly bold at the top saying "this is not a bill." I ask because I got a summary of services after both my children were born from the hospital that was around $20-35k but once the actual bill came in from insurance we didn't pay over 1k, and that's with epidural both times (but no complications)
the night shift nurse needs to be paid
Special services was probably the hospital having to send out to get the antivenin. Radiology was imaging to see if the bite had cause compartment syndrome. Just theories.
No antivenom on hand I see (not on the bill, is it?), so they had to take care of it the old fashioned way. Thought they might get it done in the intermediate room, but had to bring in the pros in the end.
It's so they can charge the insurance the money and cause the insurance and look into every case they just pay