Hospitals Are Charging Up to 10x the Going Rate for This Some
hospitals will charge five to 10 times the going rate for services, then 😈 sue patients who cannot afford the padded bills - and use the court system as their collection agency, forcing many into bankruptcy. Here are the traps to watch out for.
What broke American health care and how to fix it
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
► Dr. Marty Makary’s book, “
The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care — and How to Fix It,” reveals the
money games in the U.S. health care system, and what every American should know
► New science is revealing that indications to treat should be narrower then previously recognized. Overall
21% of medical treatments have been deemed unnecessary, contributing to our cost crisis
► Over the past 150 years, the focus of most hospitals has shifted from
serving the community to
👹💵🎩generating profits, and these two aims are frequently at odds
► Predatory pricing practices are crushing everyday Americans. Some
hospitals will charge five to 10 times the going rate for services and then sue patients who cannot afford the padded bills
► Investigations reveal there’s
no correlation between high prices and quality of care. Nor is there a correlation between high prices and charity care
► Another egregious example of predatory pricing is that of ambulance transport. Unless you’re seriously injured, consider taking an Uber to the hospital as the
bill for an ambulance transport can run into the thousands. For helicopter transport, it could be as high as half a million dollars
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