Monterey, CA Hospital Stays Can Be Astronomical For The Uninsured

View From A Nonprofit Serving Seniors In Carmel, Carmel Valley, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, Seaside And Soledad California

Hospital bills are often baffling, and the price of just a small item like a band-aid or a Tylenol can fetch eye-popping prices.  The average hospital charges $20 for a codeine pill which can be had at your local pharmacy for about 50 cents, even without insurance.  Hardly anyone other than insurance companies and the government (such as Medicare or Medi-Cal) look at the bills, because there are pre-negotiated contracts between hospitals and insurance companies with an agreed upon price schedule for each item.  However, if you are uninsured you will most certainly be paying attention to the detailed hospital bill after you get home, and this is likely to give you significant heartburn.  The New York Times published a story today about this perplexing issue.  It said that that emergency rooms were big profit centers at most hospitals.  One woman went in and had three stiches put in.  She was happy to be in and out within an hour, but not happy with the $2,229 charge.  Another patient had a minor forehead wound.  The hospital dabbed on some skin glue and charged $1,696.  If you are admitted to the hospital, charges can run as high as $12,500 per day.  "How do hospitals set prices?  They set prices to maximize revenue, and they raise prices as much as they can.  All the research supports that," said Glenn Melnick, a professor of health economics at the University of Southern California.  If you are in need of elective surgery and don't have insurance, I urge you to get in contact with the hospital prior to having it done.  Most hospitals will negotiate rates in advance and lower prices if you can show financial need.  Unfortunately, if you try to do this once you are out of the hospital and the debt is already on the books, hospital collection agents will have little sympathy for you.  This can cause a considerable amount of stress as bill collectors call trying to collect on an astronomical bill that you know there is no way that you can ever afford to repay.

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of Hands to Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors.