4 ms·

With the ridiculous prices of health care in America it's likely also cheaper too.

1letterunixname 4y ago
A bicycle accident bill can be over 100k USD without any surgery or being admitted overnight. Having a stroke can be 500-600k which might cause another upon seeing the bill.
- whatshisface 4y ago
  People do not pay $500k bills for strokes, that's not possible.
  - LambdaComplex 4y ago
    "Do people pay $500k hospital bills?" and "Do people receive $500k hospital bills?" are two different questions.
    - bombcar 4y ago
      In fact it’s to the insurance companies benefit to have the original bill be as insanely high as possible, before negotiating a “discount” and paying half - makes them look better and scares people from not having insurance.
- MikePlacid 4y ago
  A bicycle accident without any surgery or being admitted overnight cost me about $600. A broken piece of the elbow (rather painful if you move your hand): one emergency room visit $300, an extra bill for some extra X-ray on that visit $180 (I declined to pay it, but my wife paid by mistake), a couple visits for observation $50 each, amounts approximate. A hospital was a bit pushing me to get a couple more extra X-rays ($80 each), but I declined those. So I am a bit wondering what you should have broken for 100k USD without requiring surgery or overnight stay.
  - luckylion 4y ago
    > So I am a bit wondering what you should have broken for 100k USD without requiring surgery or overnight stay. Probably the latest model ultra-light e-bike and your Vaude vest.
- Merad 4y ago
  The US healthcare system is all kinds of messed up, but this sounds like FUD territory. I was hospitalized for 12 days earlier this year for what ended up being a heart issue. Not as "exciting" as a stroke perhaps but I'd have ended up very dead without modern medicine. The total bill sent to insurance was $85k and I ended up having to pay $5k.
  - dzhiurgis 4y ago
    > ended up having to pay $5k. Still outrageous. In Spain you pay 300 euro a month and in Lithuania it’s like 50 per month. So what you paid buys years of insurance on its own.
    - quantum_magpie 4y ago
      Social security is 20% of your salary in Lithuania. 50€ if you're unemployed. Although it does cover healthcare, unemployment and part of retirement pensions. Probably something more, but I don't know further details.
      - dzhiurgis 4y ago
        Do you know what is the actual spend per capita and does 50 cover it? Sounds like a good metric to go by. P.S. not a fan how the social taxes are collected since whenever you are supposed to get benefits it’s always capped at some ridiculous number…
        1letterunixname 4y ago
        I would bet my life that hospitals and doctors in Europe can't take everything you own while you're alive just because you require expensive cancer treatments. I wonder though if European patients are subtly not given the opportunities of expensive or experimental treatments to keep costs under control or if QALY "death panel" calculations are performed. My late grandmother was often slighted and not offered treatment by VA medical personnel because of her age. It was disgusting, overt ageism beyond whether a particular treatment was suitable or not, she was treated as a second-class citizen not worth helping.
arcticbull 4y ago
I was going to say the same thing. I'm sure the bill is in the high tens of thousands if not low 6 figures in the US. Would be curious if someone has a bill. It's probably $100 in Europe without insurance.

A bicycle accident bill can be over 100k USD without any surgery or being admitted overnight. Having a stroke can be 500-600k which might cause another upon seeing the bill.

whatshisface 4y ago
People do not pay $500k bills for strokes, that's not possible.
- LambdaComplex 4y ago
  "Do people pay $500k hospital bills?" and "Do people receive $500k hospital bills?" are two different questions.
  - bombcar 4y ago
    In fact it’s to the insurance companies benefit to have the original bill be as insanely high as possible, before negotiating a “discount” and paying half - makes them look better and scares people from not having insurance.
MikePlacid 4y ago
A bicycle accident without any surgery or being admitted overnight cost me about $600. A broken piece of the elbow (rather painful if you move your hand): one emergency room visit $300, an extra bill for some extra X-ray on that visit $180 (I declined to pay it, but my wife paid by mistake), a couple visits for observation $50 each, amounts approximate. A hospital was a bit pushing me to get a couple more extra X-rays ($80 each), but I declined those. So I am a bit wondering what you should have broken for 100k USD without requiring surgery or overnight stay.
- luckylion 4y ago
  > So I am a bit wondering what you should have broken for 100k USD without requiring surgery or overnight stay. Probably the latest model ultra-light e-bike and your Vaude vest.
Merad 4y ago
The US healthcare system is all kinds of messed up, but this sounds like FUD territory. I was hospitalized for 12 days earlier this year for what ended up being a heart issue. Not as "exciting" as a stroke perhaps but I'd have ended up very dead without modern medicine. The total bill sent to insurance was $85k and I ended up having to pay $5k.
- dzhiurgis 4y ago
  > ended up having to pay $5k. Still outrageous. In Spain you pay 300 euro a month and in Lithuania it’s like 50 per month. So what you paid buys years of insurance on its own.
  - quantum_magpie 4y ago
    Social security is 20% of your salary in Lithuania. 50€ if you're unemployed. Although it does cover healthcare, unemployment and part of retirement pensions. Probably something more, but I don't know further details.
    - dzhiurgis 4y ago
      Do you know what is the actual spend per capita and does 50 cover it? Sounds like a good metric to go by. P.S. not a fan how the social taxes are collected since whenever you are supposed to get benefits it’s always capped at some ridiculous number…
      - 1letterunixname 4y ago
        I would bet my life that hospitals and doctors in Europe can't take everything you own while you're alive just because you require expensive cancer treatments. I wonder though if European patients are subtly not given the opportunities of expensive or experimental treatments to keep costs under control or if QALY "death panel" calculations are performed. My late grandmother was often slighted and not offered treatment by VA medical personnel because of her age. It was disgusting, overt ageism beyond whether a particular treatment was suitable or not, she was treated as a second-class citizen not worth helping.

arcticbull 4y ago

I was going to say the same thing. I'm sure the bill is in the high tens of thousands if not low 6 figures in the US. Would be curious if someone has a bill. It's probably $100 in Europe without insurance.