What’s the Most Ridiculous Medical Bill You’ve Ever Had?
It’s no secret that the US medical system has completely screwed up. We seek medical help without knowing how much it will cost; Prices are negotiated between hospitals and insurance companies, and we have little choice but to pay our premiums, deductibles, and any bills that might come our way.
To shed some light on this, a recent tweet from Bernie Sanders asked people to share their “most absurd” medical billing stories, and the results were heartbreaking. (For me, the hardest ones to read are those in which children have died or been threatened with health reasons related to billing or finding an on-net hospital. If you would like to read, see the answers at the link above them.)
None of this is news to people living in the US, but from time to time someone from Canada or Europe will land on a thread to ask how this is generally a discussion, how such bills are even possible.
The medical system in this country is unlikely to undergo a major overhaul anytime soon, but several politicians are proposing changes , and projects such as the Vox investigation of emergency department accounts are starting to put pressure on hospitals. Until then, tell us: what was your most ridiculous treatment bill?