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why does an IV bag cost $500? I want professional operators and physicians to look at my details. What I don't want is dozens of layers of middlemen or ticket
by jimjimjim 9y ago
why does an IV bag cost $500?
I want professional operators and physicians to look at my details.
What I don't want is dozens of layers of middlemen or ticket clippers (or healthcare driven by profit).
- duozerk 9y ago> why does an IV bag cost $500? It doesn't outside of the US.
- mirimir 9y agoIndeed. In the US, it does because manufacturers have gamed the system. Through bundled contracting with hospitals etc, for example.
- maxerickson 9y agoHospitals pay a couple dollars for IV saline. In fact, manufacturers are required to report such prices annually to the federal government, which bases Medicare payments on the average national price plus 6 percent. The limit for one liter of normal saline (a little more than a quart) went to $1.07 this year from 46 cents in 2010, an increase manufacturers linked to the cost of raw materials, fuel and transportation. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/27/health/exploring-salines-secret-costs.html http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/27/health/exploring-salines-s... (which implies that manufacturers aren't the primary beneficiaries of the price that the hospitals charge)
- mirimir 9y agoThanks. It does seem that, in this case, it's hospitals that are inflating costs. But even so, this is the Medicare reimbursement price. Maybe hospitals are "paying" cash price for saline, with a rebate on some product bundle, which doesn't get allocated properly to their cost basis for saline.
- narrator 9y agoDoesn't at Kaiser either. You just get all that stuff under a single line item "Emergency Room visit Level 2: $650". Funny how that happens when the hospital and the insurance are the same company.
- Powerofmene 9y agoIt doesn't but what you are charged for a medical service/medical supply has very, very little to do with what your service/supply actually costs.
- seesomesense 9y agoIt is around $2 USD here. "Hartmanns IV Solution AU$2.73 ex GST Baxter 0.18% SODIUM CHLORIDE & 4% GLUCOSE IV SOLN 500ML AU$3.72 ex GST " https://www.medshop.com.au/consumables/intravenous-solutions/ https://www.medshop.com.au/consumables/intravenous-solutions...
- Spooky23 9y agoBecause you're buying a lot of insurance and debt. The lack of quality health insurance means that a substantial number of people finance healthcare via bankruptcy. That's all priced in. As an insured person or private payer, you pay dramatically more as a result -- it's a hidden tax.