CA couple shocked by $200K hospital bill for rabies shots after encountering bat | EXCLUSIVE
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2023
- A Solano County couple went to the hospital for rabies shots after finding a bat in their house and the bill from that single, simple visit? More than $200,000. abc7ne.ws/3RNXA7m
#rabies #hospital #bills #investigation #abc7news
The fact that the insurance company actually paid $58,000 is obscene. This is beyond outrageous. Why isn't this considered to be a crime?
Because Big Pharma and the health insurance companies control healthcare in America.
Insurance companies and hospitals are working together in this. Doctors and nurses are screwed with their health insurance too!
Because corrupt corporatism politicians keep sabotaging universal healthcare.
OBAMA CARES!!!
Our politicians made this medical theft perfectly legal. We didn't have insurance and my wife had a pacemaker put in. The bill $165,000. We were going to file for bankruptcy so we go to an attorney that specializes in medical bankruptcies. We didn't go to court but our attorney negotiated with the hospital and got the bill down to $12,500. So we made monthly payments on that. Here is the kicker. Our attorney demanded an itemized statement and she told us the hospital ONLY had $9,000.00 TOTAL into the surgery but yet originally charged us $165,000. So they over-charged us over $150,000. Yes, hospital are scumbags but they got us by the balls because if you don't use them you might die.
$10,000 would be too much for a rabies shot. $200,000 is fraud. These people need to be prosecuted.
Consider that a rabies shot may save your life, what is that worth?
@@dave8599 you can use that argument for a lot of things. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich once saved my grandma from hypoglycemic shock, should a peanut butter and jelly sandwich be worth $200,000?
$300 would be too much for a rabies shot.
rabies shot cost is 45$
It’s free where I’m from.
The fact that $1200 for a rabies shot would have been considered cheap is a crushing indictment of US medical system. That's insane!
It costs between £120-£180 in the UK.
agree!
@@afc8981 € 120 in Italy. I think in both countries it would have been free, as it was a potentially life-saving treatment (our healthcare system was literally copied from your NHS in the 70s, so it's very very similar)
@@afc8981 in india a top hospital cost about 15 dollers for 1 shot
It's free in Canada, minus the taxes.. But we still pay less taxes than most US states!
When people are being advised to avoid the emergency room, then you know something is horribly wrong with the medical system.
I remember back in the 90's in Ventura County, CA when ERs were closing due to the "drive-by" epidemic with idiots shooting each other, coming to the ER for expensive treatment, but no insurance and failing to pay. I guess it's pay-back time for the ERs ????
Interesting, because back in 2022, California passed Universal Healthcare.
We avoided and we came to doctors office! She send us to emergency room because she did not want us as new patients ! In many countries doctors are responsible criminally for refusing to serve the patients.
Well the ER is routinely busy with a limited number of beds no matter which country you're looking at. In the US you are looking at 2-4 hour wait times after you get a bed due to a mix of the various test and cultures that need to be run in addition to the high number of patient with even longer waits depending on the hospital's designation. In a perfect world, better public health programs that encourage people to have healthy habits, more routine primary care, and better diagnosis at urgent care would lower the traffic and free up some beds. So to summarize, yes please avoid the ER if you have a minor issue(Go to an urgent care instead it'll save you time and money), if serious however please go to an ER.
Costwise you have to remember that the ER has to be staffed 24/7 by physicians, nurses, techs, security, and other staff in a high staff-to-patient ratio due to the variety of cases that pop up there. This often leads to situations in which the emergency room isn't actually earning a hospital much money due to high fixed costs relative to other units. Furthermore, the battle between pharmaceuticals, insurance providers, hospitals, and patients are unending. Pharmaceuticals are encouraged to have high prices with high margins, insurance providers are encourged to deny coverage or try to promote a lower quality of care to save money, with hospitals and patients stuck in the middle fighting it out sometimes. Additionally, not all insurance coverages are the same with certain groups being more consistent thus with more restrictive insurance coverage you may be more likely to be transferred to other hospitals in the region and passed down the colloquial chain.
Tldr: Yes, healthcare is terribly broken.
Uh doesn’t matter how free it is, you should avoid the ER.
Time to push for laws that limit how much hospitals can reasonably charge. This is outrageous.
You have to pay $40 to hold your new born
@@tonyahenry8166 lie
@Tonya Henry
In Russia don"t need to pay. To born baby -no fee
@@trekgirl65 it's true man, it's charged as skin to skin contact
The problem is the insurance companies they are the one making the price going unreasonably high
Take the hospital and hospital board to court!!!
This is getting all too common and trickling to veterinary care as well.
They have no case. It was their choice
@@shaylamoreno363
1. The hospital, on its OWN WEBSITE, specified what the cost of rabies shots is
2. The hospital has refused to give an itemization of the charges
In this case, the issue was already settled, but they're not even willing to explain the outrageous markup. They absolutely had a case.
exactly.
@@shaylamoreno363 The hospital didn't provide a breakdown of the expenses. At a minimum, the court would force that.
Giving someone a bill like this should be considered a crime.
Whoever came up with that 200K bill needs to spend time in prison.
long live trump and his gang
@@martientegelaers6522 You should probably check which party the medical companies donate large sums of money to. Or stay ignorant, it's hard to change a live long pattern of living after all.
@@martientegelaers6522
Do your reseach and you will find that DJT was helping working American Citizens.
I know that Obama brought down the medical expenses but in reality he didn't. It was all built in to the higher deductible. It was a smoking mirror.
I was in Sri Lanka in 2021. This is one of the poorest countries in the world. I was bitten by a wild dog there and was taken to the emergency room at the Public Health Hospital. They gave me a full treatment anti rabies vaccine and charged me NOT ONE PENNY. Thanks to the kindness and basic humanity of the Sri Lankan people,I am alive and well today.
Need I say more.
I've always found it ironic how most of the countries we call 'third world' take care of their citizens in this way, yet we in our 'great 1st world nations' are faced with these exorbitant medical bills that continue to rise.
Yeah, and how do you think we got so rich? By _helping_ people?? Yeah no 👍
@@amandasunshine2 "Rich" in a stereotyped way. At a point, the costs still get pushed off on charity and public aid, but in a demeaning way to those who benefit.
@@SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648 I mean, that's kinda the point. The rich don't get rich by paying their fair share of taxes, or by donating as much as poor people to charity. Poor people donate more to charity than rich people.
@@amandasunshine2 We got rich because this particular country of ours had not been tapped for resources until we got here. Then after two world wars, we had zero infrastructure damage, and sold everything to everyone who was rebuilding. Also, we had the best and brightest from around the world come here.
However, your not wrong. Please do not think I am saying that. Greed was certainly a driving factor.
In Italy, a rabies shot costs about € 120 at a private clinic, if you just want to have it, but this was prescribed by a doctor as an emergency, so it would have been free. This couple could have booked a plane, come here, had the shot, and had a two week tour of the country for less money.
Maybe could have boughten a house over there to save for medical trips for 200k 😂
@@BowzKnows That kind of money will buy a large apartment or a decent sized independent house in most towns or a large house with a garden in a village.
Same here in the UK, Superdrug (UK pharmacist) charge £62 (~€74) which is expensive but quick and easy . . . or you could book yourself a doctor's appointment and get it for free.
yup . broken system
Yes...in Germany it costs $80 !!!!
$200,000??? That's crazy! Insane! Pure greed!
I would of went to carbon health. Way cheaper
Never payed for it in Russia
@@user-hv9vn4fi4w I'm sure you paid for it in other ways.
@@9liveslisa in Canada we have national health care, I didn't pay to deliver my children or for any trips to the doctor or any trips to the emergency room or when my son was bitten by a stray dog and needed to get the series of rabies shots and I wasn't charged to hold my new babies as "skin to skin contact" and I guarantee the amount paid in taxes to cover this national health care isn't even close to the bill these people got. The US and Canada pay basically the same amount of taxes but we get far more back for what we pay than the US does. Americans need to stop screaming about gun rights and start screaming about health care rights, especially considering how often people get shot. smdh.
not really. you are paying for all those who did NOT pay.
In the UK, this costs around £40 - £60 ($49 - $74 US), this is for 3 shots, but you need to take a whole course which will cost you between £120 and £180. Superdrug (UK pharmacist) charge £62, which is fairly expensive but quick and easy. For $200,000 you can fly to the UK first class, pay for a luxury hotel, get your shots, stay for a two week holiday and also buy a very nice house while you're here !!
We've already got an invitation from @Patavinus to Italy, but thank you!
Imagine how often this type of abuse happens. Freaking horrible.
The American medical system is so broken. I thought $900.00 at Adventist Health for a $2 tetanus shot was bad. This is insane.
if im not mistaking, i think tetanus shot at rite aid is only $36 (six years ago). just checked, they are $77 now.
@@Chaser4906 I had 800$ for tentnesshot at the er I won't tell u how much my stroke which included 4 months of inpatient treatment in a stroke rehab
@@angiebervinkle9542 godspeed on the full recovery! over or under 300k?
Recently paid Adventist Health $1,000 just to get a sprained ankle checked by a doctor who basically just chatted for 5 minutes. That’s after insurance, and I pay almost $800/month for the crappy coverage by Blue Cross Blue Shield. The medical providers are insanely greedy, and the insurance companies are shamelessly scammy. The American healthcare system is pathetic.
@@TheAerialgreen 100% I learned an expensive lesson after going to the ER for an allergic reaction that the doctor treating you may not be "in network" despite going to an "in-network" hospital. Got a surprise bill after the fact. American healthcare system forces patients (despite under duress, injured, or potentially unconscious) to do the vetting of their healthcare while seeking care.
Sounds like it'd be cheaper to fly first class flight overseas, relax for a few weeks and get the series of rabies shots while on vacation.
I feel you are right about this. I would also change doctors for sure
$300 in Mexico, no doctor needed, just buy at pharmacy
Yep these shots are cheap in India. My son had them, the whole series was less than $60.
I had a full set of Dental implants installed in Mexico a number of years ago - 6K including follow-ups. I was quoted 40K in the U.S. Any major medical procedure I need from here on will be done abroad.
And book yourself a room in 5 star hotels and still pay less.
My wife was charged $18,000 for an unknown stomach pain, which, at the end of the hospital visit they determined she was constipated and flushed her out with some saline water. Our healthcare system is broken. Not to mention, it cost us $36,000 to give birth to our daughter. Even with our insurance negotiations with the hospitals and covering some of it, we still ended up paying thousands, which is beyond stupid.
Сapitalism at its madness peak.
I am not paying it. They can sue me if they wawnt.
This is unbelievable. In Germany you have to have health insurance and most things are covered by it. If you can't afford it, the state pays for it. Here we just go to the doctors or the hospital, get what we need and that's it.
Many Americans think normal health care across Europe is socialism. It's amazing they keep voting against their own interest.
Yes, but Germany ain't "the best country in the world". 🙃
@@em0_tion Exactly! And you also don't get "the best medical care in the world" there either!
...you just can't help some people. They're too far gone.
@@em0_tion what is the best country in the world?
@@mathildewesendonck7225 One that doesn't brag about being #1 and actively works on becoming better.
$200,000 for $541 worth of medicine. Welcome to America 🇺🇸
Made that way by the illegals that never would pay their bills, stop services to illegals.
Yup, really goes to show how "great it is"
For medicine that cost $5 to make.
$199k + is for tipping the hospital's directors/executives.
You don’t understand, we need that money to blow up balloons from outer space over Canada
“…out of respect for patient privacy….” Nah, they’re just saving themselves from a lawsuit.
Bingo.
Companies that can hide billing inquiries due to privacy laws will always abuse it.
Scott Rothstein claimed that the lawsuits where confidential and he could not show them to the investors, got away with $1.2Billion fraud.
Classic murica
HIPAA though
@@Kingdom_Of_Dreams that is how hospital can hide fraud, they simple say hipaa and questions have to end there.
Have I just teleported into an alternate reality? For me, a lucky Canadian who lives in a country where we share medical costs, $1300 for a rabies shot is outrageously expensive. But $200,000 for rabies shots for a couple when there are no complications and not even any illness is just mind blowing. I can't even begin to figure out how that works in any honest or logical way. I am truly shocked and horrified.
And this is why people are afraid/hesitant to go to the doctor….
I was a caretaker for a 75 year old woman many years ago in coastal Orange County, California. I was concerned that she had lost her appetite but appeared to be gaining weight. I took her to her doctor and he had her admitted to the hospital nearby. They determined that she had ovarian cancer and performed an operation. She spent 2 weeks in the hospital and was allowed to come home. When her husband got the bill, I thought it was overly high, so I called the hospital’s billing department. They informed me that he had plenty of insurance but I asked for an itemized bill. I was shocked at what I saw. Not only was she charged for the operation but she was charged $12.95 for each Tylenol tablet, new bed cushions each day, new catheters for each day(both of which aren’t normal to do), fetal monitoring, observation of labor, a DNC (to clear the placenta)! I was dumbfounded, so I called the hospital to explain to me why a 75 year old woman with ovarian cancer would be charged for these things. I was told that they had to pad the bills of insured people to cover the costs of “indigent” people because the insurance companies would pay! I told them that that’s insurance fraud, a crime and that I was going to report it to the insurance company and probably they state insurance inspectors! Within a few months, that hospital was bought out by another hospital and no longer exists. Who knows how many people were fraudulently taken advantage of just by that hospital alone!
This is 100% true! I always ask for an itemized statement. Hosp will say they are to busy,tell them you will wait,they say copies cost a dollar a page,say i have a visa card thats fine, they say we legally cant give you the statement,say ok give me a couple minutes to contact a lawyer and the local news stations. Make sure at discharge you get the ICD10 as well.
DONT GIVE UP AND GIVE IN. YOU will be amazed at the 💩they pad your bill with go thru that bill with a fine tooth comb. Insurance companies dont care what the price is they just pay their part. You are stuck with the rest.
FIGHT!
What that billing person said is BS! That makes me furious. 😡
@@KatWrangler How is that BS! As shocked as I was that she admitted it, that’s what she said.
I paid $1000 for a migraine 😂 no lie I was in pain and the migraine stopped after I saw the bill
@@meep2253 Ha, ha! That bill would give me a migraine!
Hospital need to get sued
In the UK it would be free on the National Health Service (NHS), but I checked with a private for profit hospital for the costs of 3 doses over 3-4 and the cost is £35 ($44) for each appointment and £115 ($144) for each vaccine dose.
At that price I think I'll be so shocked that I need to go back to hospital again. It's a vicious cycle.
All the people with their "big titles", CFO, CEO, VP of Operations, and NONE of them would answer questions??? Why are these people even getting paid???!!! The whole system is crooked.
They are using the money that comes from these crazy charges to plan a company work vacation a fancy resort so they can discuss outrageous charges at the hospital... 😅
Those poor CEO’s CFO’s etc. don’t you get it? They need their new yachts , summer houses and first class plane tickets. In all seriousness this really is an issue in American healthcare. It’s theft if you ask me and I really don’t like how it’s being run as a business. That only makes things worse for patients
@@kpepperl319 Exactly!!!
@@sgnibble1 Absolute theft!!! Eventually people will just die at home. Why pay these crooks?
I had surgery a couple years ago, and the CEO of the hospital made 20 times what my whole surgical team earned during the procedure. That hospital could have twenty more surgical teams working if they got rid of the guy who just sits at a desk and gets paid.
My girlfriend went to the hospital a few months ago for an ovarian cyst. They had her there for hours and hardly did anything for her. They eventually ended up sending her home. They later called her to inform her she had an ovarian cyst and she said yeah I know that’s why I was there, you didn’t do anything for me though. They billed her for over a grand and she refuses to pay for it. I don’t blame her. They didn’t treat her for it at all yet they had no problem trying to get money out of her. That’s some bs.
My dad went to the hospital to get a splinter removed from the crease of his elbow. Took the doctor two seconds to get it out. They sent him home after. He got a bill in the mail for over two grand. I think he refused to pay it. Why should he pay over two grand for a two second job?
The hospitals are literally committing robbery at this point.
Your dad went to the hospital for a splinter?
They are legalized scammers. They generate random prices because they can and aren't responsible for anything. In 90% of cases it's cheaper to fly abroad and use the most expensive services there. Too bad Americans don't realize this.
I went to the ER for a cut. After checking in I was told to wait in the reception area. They did absolutely NOTHING for me, not even a band-aid, not even taking my temperature, not even asking me to do a questionare. After 2 hours of being ignored I left.
Later they billed me $250(ish). Insurance won't cover it because I wasn't admitted.
I mean, your dad is an idiot for going to the Dr for a splinter.
@Lynn Geek and pays $3k a month in student loans lol after entering the workforce after college at 30.
This is ridiculous, prices out of control.
If the hospital website quotes $547.65 for a rabies shot then only pay them that amount and let them sue you.
It could costs me 90¢ in Thailand. This is insane. Your country is broken indeed.
Broken is not the right word, corrupt is more accurate.
@@duancoviero9759 Or corruption led to brokeness like Ukraine or Sri Lanka.
@@amyma1076 In "corrupted" Ukraine you'll get a shot for rabies just for $3,49 dollars! What country more corrupted?
So then why are so many people invading the US?
What the. Those hospital need to be shut down ASAP.
I'M THINKING THAT SINCETHE HOSPITAL BILLED THEM AN EXORBITANT FEE...CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW THEY BILL OTHER PATIENTS WHO SEEK CARE FROM THERE?
THEY NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED ASAP.
the thing that struck me is that she was charged less then him for the same care
Thank goodness for our NHS here in the UK!
The healthcare issue should be the top issue, spoken about every day every hour, until it is fixed. This is ridiculous and its not an isolated incident.
Noooooo you must be focused on race and other distractions!!!!!
We could just let people get rabies and chew off the doctor’s face while he sleeps.
That and the ridiculous cost of living. Both housing and hospital costs are all price gouging.
@@average_psyop_enjoyer and colored people playing main characters on TV and M&M mascots in heels.
@@travismiller89 yes this is the biggest problem in our current society and life
A good friend of mine refused to go to the ER late one friday night when her boyfriend begged for her to go. She was afraid of the massive ER bill $$ so she tried to tough it out at home because she was broke. She died two days later at home Sunday morning from complete organ failure. She had pneumonia.
I am sorry for your loss🤍 sending lots of love and strength. The health system is downright outrageous
This is so heartbreaking 😫 I am sorry for your loss 😞
A supposedly wealthy country won’t provide basic healthcare for its citizens …………hang you head in shame America.
In India one shot of Rabies shot cost $4. There is something really wrong with American healthcare pricing.
@@yamlajatt7481 That shot in the US would be thousands. Yeah American healthcare is a complete SCAM!
I'm Canadian and that is unfathomable
If you go and read the reviews on this hospital, you wouldn't want to go anywhere near it if you had any sort of medical problem. It's horrid.
They're a bunch of crooks because they know it's wrong to rob people like this! Those director, chief executives, vice president,.... are robberies! Karma will get them!
Anything in California costs these days
You do realize they only paid a total of 3500 dollars right? For like all the shots plus er visit right?
It's crazy, really grrat country! 🤯
@@prancer1803 3500 is still overpriced for shots by like 10x the cost. Most countries wouldn't even charge for it.
@@DRHOLEEFOOK they charge but in taxes
More people need to report stories like this....this is WRONG. Nothing will change until people start bringing these atrocities to light!
But the irony is everyone's against socialized medicine, so this is what you get.
@@jenniferlawrence9473 I understand what you're saying, but this is a COMPLETELY different issue. This is illegal.
@clot shots What? Who?
@clot shots If you don't want to support their egregious behavior, just don't go to the hospital. Simple!
@@InsiderBoy you qualify as the lowest common denominator, go outside.
It’s idiotic that some people think we have the best healthcare in this country. We don’t. Sure, we have some of the best tech in healthcare. But we make healthcare so inaccessible to so many. We have doctors that are horribly undertrained in medicine.
And life expectancy went lower, so yeah, best medicine in the world...
How does a lower life expectancy = best medicine in the world. Or, are you being sarcastic?
@@hingedelephant yeah, sarcasm.
I had a multi-day hospital stay with neurosurgery and it didn’t even cost half that.
“that might cause them to not seek care.” ABSOLUTELY!!!! I’d rather die than be saddled with that bill. Makes me so angry they are treating patients like this. Know-wonder people can’t afford medical. Shame on the hospital and the ones in charge.
No need to seek care when youre not exposed. Bats are removed from homes and buildings all the time. It didnt bite you and you didnt eat it. Move on
@@allroadsanywhere449 Bats carry rabies in their saliva. It has been found that the saliva can be deposited on to their claws. Those claws are very fine and you may not be aware of a bat scratch. The shots are defiantly indicated.
@@josephmaschak8652 Not at all. Perhaps on a Young child I would agree, but on an Adult the Parts per million are never going to infect you unless youre immo compromised.
@@allroadsanywhere449 True, but if you were the ER doctor, what would you recommend ? Your window of opportunity slams shut once rabies takes hold. It's a nasty way to die. And you will probably lose the malpractice suit.
@@josephmaschak8652 Nah yea, As an ER Doc they are relatively bound due to liability, I was just being critical of the decision to follow thru with such, however I only know what they mentioned in the story.
To each their own tho, I once had a proper tetanus scare working of all places a metal shop... I also looked up the symptoms and ensuing prognosis and nearly immediately had some psychosomatic symptoms. Perhaps due to Tetanus being horrific as well, but I was clear. I wouldnt recommend what I did, but the bat scare sounds like anxiety from the patient held the Doctor to his oath and thats that.
Had I went to ER with my tetanus story/fears Theres no way they would have let me leave I imagine, not without a waiver.
Edit: and yea my Tetanus was decades out of date Either faith in my logic or fear of 13 shots to the gut
The fact that one bill is over $100.000 and the other bill for a second patient bought in at the same time is $93,000 (thousands of dollars less), with no lab work (and virtually the same diagnosis), shows how screwed up the hospital's billing is.
It was probably a weight/dosage thing - but that almost makes it more wacky. What, she weighs 20 lbs less, and that equates to $7,000???
@@DannyD-lr5yg $7k is a lot, but also only 7% difference. Easily coulda been 7% different meds quantity based on patient mass or even just gender or something.
Any way you look at it, its well beyond outrageous.
@Karl with a K You are 100% correct here. It's all a cartel scam, big corps vs individuals.
Should have just gone to Mexico.
Yep. Completely made up random numbers. Maybe the CFO and the CEO were each making down payments on their mistresses houses. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
What I don’t understand is in every other industry you are provided an estimate before you get the service. Because there’s no estimate they can charge whatever they want because they’re given a blank check and expected to not be greedy.
I couldn’t make it to work because of menstrual cramps, they told me I needed a doctors note so I went to the hospital for a real diagnosis, my cramps have always been horrible and the doctor only gave me a note for missing work and a $6000 bill for a sheet of paper.
I truly hope that you keep a follow up on this story. It’s completely outrageous that any hospital would charge even $58,000 for a four hour ER visit. I don’t think there’s any way they could justify that.
Someone has to pay for San Francisco's junkies free healthcare.
So you don't want to pay the professional that take years to be able to treat you?
@@everythingpony It takes years of study to know how to charge $200,000 for injecting a vaccine that costs $2.
Oh, no. I do disagree. It can get super expensive. So many people get disappointed when they don't need something, like a doc orders a test and it comes back negative. They feel like they were cheated or something. ERs are expensive to run. Not that I disagree that it's a lot of money, just can't only blame the hospital.
@@everythingpony Lots of jobs take years to learn. They don't charge $14k per hour.
Can't believe American can still be alive with this kind of health care, mind-blowing
Americans have lower average lifespan than even countries like Cuba, so I think that tells you something
I live in the Philippines, I had to have rabies shots 2 years ago and it was free.
@@rumblefish9 I live here too now. Originally from the US. I had an aging dog that was going blind and start to snap at people. He nipped the ankle of a delivery guy. To make the guy feel better we paid for his emergency room visit and the shots. It was less then 2000php, around $40 USD at the time.
@@AtomicOverdrive you need to put down your dog bro. dog biting someone unprovoked is absolutely unacceptable.
In india rabies shots are free in government hospitals, free health care including surgeries for poor. Middle class gets discount from government. Here in india free education up to 12 grade and minimum tuition fee for higher studies in government colleges . free health care, free transportation and free food for students. Pension for adults over 60. Pension for widows over 40. Free groceries for poor. Also government distributes 5 rupees (0.07 $ , 7 cents ) meals to all during lunch with high quality food. Free electricity for farmers. Government universities charge only 2500$ to 10000$ to complete engineering or medical degrees, if student is from poor background no fees for these degrees. Free homes for poor. Pension for unemployed. Thanks to bill gates and other Americans who donated vaccines and medicines to india. Also thanks to Americans who helped all poor countries.
I’m still making payments on a $33,000 bill that was left after a supposed 70% reduction in the bill after getting attacked by a rabid cat. That was for a 4 hour emergency room visit over 10 years ago.
Just googled what a rabies vaccine costs in my country: they said it was "relatively expensive" at 70€.
Those prices are absurd, especially for emergency care.
That hospital needs to be shut down immediately and those hospital administrators need to be arrested. Healthcare in the United States needs to be completely overhauled.
Nothing will be done because every congressman gets huge bribes from the corporations they allowed to buy up all the hospitals and become healthcare monopolies. This was their plan for us. You pay for the best medical for your congressman for life! But you are not allowed the same care.
Yup, look at all their smiling faces. They know what they're doing.
@@ninehundreddollarluxuryyac5958 You're probably right. The politicians should have the same healthcare that the "peasants" have. Why else do they want to stay in office until they die??? They want the benefits and power. American people are sheep, saying nothing and putting up with the bulls#$t politicians.
Except that that’s not what the American people want. This is exactly what they want. So it’s exactly what we get.
Sorry free health care isn’t the answer, what needs to be done is to stop giving free care to illegals, unless life threatening injury, send them home. Secure the border, that should be the FIRST priority.
My husband had an emergency a few years ago, and he ended up in the ER. They couldn't do anything except refer him to a different hospital, but they kept us there for over 6 hours. When he was allowed to leave, they tried to pressure us into an ambulance ride which he didn't need. We declined. And we tried to check out at the desk, but they wouldn't let us leave without paying his deductible. Instead of processing his insurance and following up with the appropriate bills, they said that we would not be allowed to leave the premises until we paid the full deductible. We were young and didn't know that that coercion was illegal. They drained our bank account and maxed out a credit card, essentially. We ended up not even having enough money to put gas in the car to get to the other hospital, which was 3 hours away. It was the most angry I have ever been with a hospital in my life.
We can't help you, but you need to pay us anyways and you need to do it NOW!
I'd love to have someone try that with me.
third world tactics... check the leadership of medical centers and hospitals, it's eye opening
deductible should have been $100-300 and you can pay it afterwards too.
Sounds like kidnaping. I would have left.
@@soyothedanny Are you on crack? Most deductibles are $6000 now.
This hospital needs to be sued and shut down!! They are a bunch of crooks 🤬🤬
I have just come out off Hospital for a 5 day stay for smashed elbow which required pins, screws and plates, the total cost including the operation was 10 Euro, and the follow up visits also 10 Euro plus Xrays at 12 Euro.
My spouse got a small abscess in his groin and he only needs IV antibiotics. He went to the Henderson Hospital and was told to see the doctor in the Er. The doctor met him, prescribed some cheap antibiotics and told him to pick them at Walmart pharmacy. The whole visit was 5 minutes. Later we received a bill of $26,000. They charged $15,000 for seeing the doctor for 3 minutes and $9,000 for a 20 pill jar of antibiotics which is normally sold for $17 per jar without insurance.
Lmao I would just move to a different state. Let em try.
I had the exact same experience for a small Absess in my armpit. 5 minute ER visit coat $20000.
Lol, u got what u voted for
So how much your insurance paid? And how much you paid?
If you wanted affordable healthcare, you should've been born rich. Blame your parents.
I was hit head on riding my bicycle by a car coming around a curve, 140 staples from my forehead thru my left eye to my ear, shattered eye socket broken nose collapsed sinus cavity, broken rib, my doctor that put my face back together, (I will never forget him) he wrote my whole bill off, no charge, there is still some good people out there, I'm blessed to even still be alive!💪😽✌️
That wa.sn't a doctor. That was a Saint 😇
Here in Australia my mother fell and broke her neck at the C2 at the C2 vertebra.
she was in hospital for six weeks. Too old for an operation, but she got care for sepsis
dementia, and follow-up transition team visits by nutritionist, physio, occupational therapy.
She just received a bill from the hospital for 650 Aussie dollars , that's 439 American.
We paid 9,000 $ for rabies shots for our son in emergency room! We came to doctor office to do the shots, but refused to do it, because we didn't have insurance for our son that time and we were send to emergency room. Our medical system is not for people of this country but for rip offs of citizens for as much as possible money to keep us poor when we are working hard.
This should literally be illegal. It should also be illegal for them to refuse public accountability when demanded
That actually is called insurance fraud.
My sister, already a breast cancer survivor, was found to have serious tongue cancer early in 2021 despite not drinking, never smoking, having a healthy lifestyle, etc. She's still trying to pay of nearly $70,000 in out-of-pocket expenses *after* her insurance paid their share. Even when she's found billing errors, the big company that runs the hospital & radiology facility is always saying, "Pay us in full first, THEN we'll check for errors." Ironically, she's a healthcare professional herself.
She need’s to file medical bankruptcy
Smh, I'm so thankful for my insurance. I had breast cancer 3 years ago and didn't have to pay anything. Not even my 10 dollar co-pays. They just let me slide on the co-pays because it was covid and I wasn't working. Insurance paid everything else
Hire a lawyer, I wouldn’t pay a cent until the billing is corrected.
No don’t do that. Once you pay you have zero recourse.
Lipstick? Mouth breather?
Why is anyone looking at options? Take the hospital to court
That's so insanely steep, but rabies is the worst way to go with 100% mortality
My sister in law just had a rabies shot and treatment, it cost $20.00 or 2000.00 pesos we live in the Philippines I don't know how anyone can afford the healthcare cost in the USA these days.
Which is why im going to retire outside of united states
The Philippines medical system is antiquated and barbaric. I studied with nurses who moved to the United States and they told me how horrible it is there. No comparison from 3rd world to our 1st world country medical system.
We don't know either. We just choose to die
Americans can afford it because the reality is majority of Americans aren't paying these costs it's majority government and employers
@@Cwgrlup Maybe they just say it because they are in the US.
That is criminal... Those 'Executives' that you named off and showed their pictures? They should all be investigated and disciplined where applicable. In what world does that make sense? 200k for the pleasure of four hours in a back supply closet room or whatever, and the two rabies shots? It's laughable! Pure GREED is all that is.
They can charge whatever they want when they know that might lose your life to it.
@@samuelkundael3503 I know that! I know it's only fair! I get it! It's the way our Med system is. But still... It just makes me sad, and it is NOT right. But your words are TRUE Samuel. In the end, your life is worth Whatever dollar amount it takes. Thanks for the Reply! 🙂
@@markiahendrix60 You are welcome brother. I only knew about the lung and intestine transplants that cost more than a heart transplant. They know that a lot of Americans would crossover to Mexico to get the heart transplant but on the other hand, the intestine and lung issue is something that wouldn't be as easily accessible over the border. I was about 11 years old when I saw this on TV back in Swaziland. Even now when we meet Americans visiting the EU, we tell them, if you feel anything just call an ambulance and they panic. You can see the trauma and worry in their faces and even when we tell them that they might only pay less than 15 dollars for the prescriptions given, they still panic. Most of the treatment at the government hospital is free and you only buy medication at the pharmacy if they are out of stock hence the $15.
@@samuelkundael3503 I see... Great explanation actually! I might get nervous, but after talking to you, I will remember that when I go back to France or England, I will remember to just call the ambulance and not panic. Only charge you for meds if out of stock. Hmm.. Sounds pretty good. Again, Thank you Samuel. We are trying to plan a trip for Aug. so your advice is much welcomed and appreciated! Take care my friend, Your pal from TEXAS - Mark H.
Pay them after the dollar crash…
$200k shot for 2 shots, and a 4 hour wait at a *non profit* hospital, sounds like they're scamming their patients.
i went to the emergency room a few months ago for a really bad sore throat that wouldn't go away. my bill was around $30,000.
The couple should demand an itemized bill, which they can choose to share with the media if they want. If they don’t get it, they should pursue fraud charges. That’s ridiculous.
In India one shot of Rabies shot cost $4. There is something really wrong with American healthcare pricing.
@@yamlajatt7481 Lobbying and greed.
They should pursue fraud charges regardless. and get the itemized bill as part of discovery.
Out of respect for hospital privacy of billing corruption
This is outrageous... Thank God we are living in the USA! Btw, a rabies shot costs ~$30 at a private clinic in Turkey! (I know because I got one on a vacation over there without travel insurance, due to a dog bite to be specific). I will update this post with fees in other European countries in the future.
They charge 120 Euros in private clinic in Italy
"Wow...I feel so much better. How much do I owe?"
"...your house"
I never go to the doctor for any reason. My insurance is about $750 a month and my deductible is $7500. I don' have health insurance - it's more like bankruptcy insurance.
That's the sad truth, even with insurance people still can't afford medical help. It's honestly only good for extreme medical emergencies.
OK so you pay £622.73 for a health insurance you don't use....in the UK in order to pay that much per month you'd have to be earning $13,531.87 and treatment would be free at the point of need...that would also cover your wife and chidren if they weren't working and no chance of you going bankrupt because you get ill....and America thinks it's civilised...yeh right
You should stop paying it. Can you qualify for Medicaid in your state? If not, I think you might be better off uninsured. I'm not joking. I was in the same situation (high monthly premiums and high deductible) and also could not afford to actually use my insurance to see a doctor. I dropped it after a few years of throwing money down that rat hole. It was actually a huge relief.
In India one shot of Rabies shot cost $4. There is something really wrong with American healthcare pricing.
@@paulfranklin8636 It's the price I'll pay for being able to own automatic guns. (Idaho) 👍
Good to have the press keeping the hospitals in check by publishing these stories.
They actually push these stories to keep people from going to ER. Usually ER bills are much smaller
It doesn't though
They're still not in check
As if they care. Greed to the max!
How covers all the free care the hospital is forced to give away? Where do they make up that cost? ERs can't refuse care so probably half the care the deliver is never paid for.
Why didn’t this story go into laws against overcharging or Northbay not sticking to the price quote
absolutely this will dissuade people from seeking help, I already avoid Hospitals like the plague due to the corruption!
Excellent reporting. Charges should be itemized from all medical facilities.
Well they have to charge that much to off set all the people not paying....I.e. illegals
Absolutely!
Agreed, BUT if you have insurance paid by your employer like I do, I'm not really sure you have a right to see an itemized bill since you are not the one actually paying the bill- the payment is between the insurance and the hospital
Exactly
One major issue is that the pricing is not available before performing the service. Imagine you go to a supermaket and get a cookie and then receive a bill of $200K month later
It actually is available but it’s tough to do that due diligence in an emergency.
Hospital costs are out of control
Even the "normal price" sounds ridiculous to me. America is insane 😵. I would expect such a thing to cost a hundred or so dollars in my country.
I rather take my chances with the bat then owe 200,000...
I really dont see getting shots if you were not bite. That bill is outrageous.
This man was a fool and deserves to pay 200k plus interest.
that is odd....I'd get a second opinion...Even at fair market value, why bother? odd indeed...
So insane, why get a shot if you’re not bitten?
It's actually really hard to spot a bat bite, and it's recommended if you were asleep in the same room as you find the bat then you need the shots. Obviously always discuss and follow your physicians recommendations.
If you don’t get the vaccine and you get rabies you face certain death- and it’s a bad death. There is no cure once you pass a certain window of time without the vaccine. Always take the bat for testing and always take the vaccine. Money is secondary to your life.
wow.. $1200 is still expensive; in my country it's less than $80 for four shots 😕
Something I just learned today: you can redline the payment clause in the disclosure agreement you sign when you go to the hospital by replacing the verbiage that you only consent to pay the market value of the services--something along those lines. Just make sure to initial, too.
Hospital: How much can you afford to pay monthly
Me: $5.
People need to rise up and make it clear that this is NOT OK! I feel terrible for this couple. Something needs to be done.
Stop letting illegal south Americans use our services they don't ever pay which makes them have to charge you more, duh!!!
People are too busy fighting eachother.
You think people want to pay that? I think they know we don’t.
In India one shot of Rabies shot cost $4. There is something really wrong with American healthcare pricing.
@@Nirobiscloset10 Even when they weren't, Americans lost their backbone a LONG time ago.
Same thing happened to me. $150,000 bill. Insurance fought for a year and hospital agreed to $35,000.
Anyone living near that hospital, it'd be cheaper to fly in first class to overseas or to Canada to get treated, and still have spare change left than to go to that hospital 😱
The government needs to investigate the hospitals and fine them (also jail time) for scamming their patients. Mercy hospital is notorious for this type of billings/scams. Mercy charged almost $8,000 for a covid test and chest x-rays.
As a biller, I would not have let the bill go out until I had a screaming match on the phone with insurance. I want to talk to their billers.
That won't do you any good. I've tried that already.
Geez. why is insurance outrageous? It couldn't be due to price gouging like this could it?
Wow. I actually got this last year due to my trip. It was free but I would have never paid that bill. That’s ridiculous.
1:30 this is ridiculous that this joint calls themselves “non profit!”
Such a joke! To charge $100k for a shot even they quite on their website for $500. And mo itemized receipt. It’s a robbery not a “non - profit”
It's way beyond robbery, it's predatory.
Non-profit just means they don't pay taxes on the money they get. It doesn't mean they don't make money. Just take a look at how much the executive branch at HSUS gets paid. Something like 12 cents on the dollar goes to animal welfare. The rest goes to 'operating costs' like CEO paychecks and actor voices in their fancy commercials. Locks of Love? Nah! They don't GIVE those wigs to kids with cancer. They sell the hair that is given to them to wig companies who make wigs to sell to anyone who wants to buy one. Sometimes it's kids with cancer, but they are paid for and not given.
it's criminal
You realize they do that to cover all the illegals that come use our services and don't pay a dollar right???
@@JohnSmith-bx5fg no one cares about the "illegals", stop trying to change the subject.
I live in Thailand...rabies shot costs US 20 - this is so ridiculous but it's also absolutely scandalous. Rabies exists in the US and the medication is not expensive - it is in countries like the UK where rabies does not exist and they stock very little. Outrageous!!
i guess booking a ticket to thailand and get a shot there is cheaper than going to the emergency room here in the us
@@trytesting4114 Yes, actually it would. I lived in the US twice and was horrified at the price of medication. I remember having a sinus infection...doctor's visit cost me almost US 200, it was going to be around another $100 for antibiotics. I had just come from the UK where it's basically free...we pay around US$100 per month in tax for healthcare....which includes everything...anyway, I knew the price of the antibiotics - it was 4 x the price in the US. I guess when you only live in the US, you have no perspective on what the rest of the western world is paying - or not paying - for treatment and drugs. At the time - 2003 - Claritin in the US was US$88 - I had a friend send me some from Canada where it was C$ 18. You guys are just so ripped off! I have to say though that healthcare in the UK is struggling now after Covid and lack of funding. But all European countries have Universal healthcare which is affordable. I now live in Thailand and even here the gov't provides healthcare for its citizens. So, I feel sorry for Americans, little do they know - or maybe they do - that they are getting so screwed by insurance companies, drug companies and lobbyists. Good luck!
I should add that lobbying is forbidden in the UK, it's known as bribery and corruption!! You can promote a cause or a company but you cannot receive any money - against the law. Funny that!
@@hunterrrdrives move to Canada or other western country with universal healthcare
@@hunterrrdrives Yes, it covers everything from cuts to cancer, including drugs, although there is a small prescription fee...US$ 10 or thereabouts. I don't think the US is focused on the individual, it is focused on greed. Plain and simple. Sad really. And everyone is guaranteed healthcare
Sounds like the insurance companies and the hospital is in on it together.
My father had a lung removed, a quadruple bypass and a heart valve replaced all in a span of three months in the hospital. How much did I pay? About $250 in hospital parking. Where? Canada.
This is outrageous..I hope the bill ends up not standing and they are relieved from paying this ridiculous bill...
If you wanted affordable healthcare then you should've been born rich. 😅
According to the video, it's already paid. 3,500 out of pocket which seems more or less the average maximum deductible for the year. The insurance foots the rest of the bill. Still crazy though.
Should have went to urgent care instead.
About 10 years ago in Maryland, I had to get a series of rabies shots (about 10 in all). I had to have them all administered at the ER because most doctors' offices don't keep the post rabies shots on hand---too expensive. All totaled was $10,000 but fortunately for me, my insurance paid for all of it. $200,000 is an obscene amount and this hospital needs to be investigated.
In India one shot of Rabies shot cost $4. There is something really wrong with American healthcare pricing.
Hospital prices in MD are regulated by the state. This is why you won’t see absurd fees here.
@@afr11235 10,000 for a rabies vaccine is still absurd.
As a western tourist in Thailand I paid around $50 to $100 for a rabies shot. This is absurd
@@TheChaz96 you probably got rib off, 50 dollar for rabies shot is a lot
the fact that they both had the exact same treatment at the same time and there was a 20k difference in the bills just shows how much they pull these numbers out of thin air
It’s absolutely absurd that hospitals or any medical vaccine company can charge what they do!
Let alone the insurance allowed it. Even thier $58,000 payment portion is unacceptable
The reporter said it usually costs $1200-6800! That is ridiculously high when we know the vaccine only cost $77 at the pharmacy and only $5 in other countries. Can you imagine how much we are all being fleeced by the healthcare system?
The vaccine doesn’t cost that much. The price is listed.
In India one shot of Rabies shot cost $4. There is something really wrong with American healthcare pricing.
Food on the table? You could buy a house for what they were charged!
Wow, remind me to stay away from THAT hospital. I had the series at my local hospital along with tetanus after a tussle with a feral cat, roughly 2,000 for all three visits was my copay.
even 2000 is daylight robbery. It's free in most developed countries
Remove all those useless hospital administrators. They benefit no one, not the doctors or patients.
How can a shot that is free to anyone in Brazil end costing US$ 100k in US?
1976 my neighbor got bit by a rabid dog and had to get rabies shots. He was 11 years old. I remember thinking that $120 or so dollars over a few days for a few shots was insane.
It could be just me, but I'm not convinced rabies shots increased in 17,000% in price since 1976. I mean in comparison, lettuce doesn't cost $22,000 a head today, does it?
It's not just you, but there is a A LOT of info missing. If that vaccine isn't perfect and if messes you up, would you like to so to sue me? I'll give the shot for just $500 under the table. See how quickly it gets complicated? Complicated = $$$$$.
They are pricey to an extent in the US, in part to which vaccine we use. It is technically the gold standard but the other cheaper to produce medicines are equivalent in every aspect. For the US ~120 is reasonable for an injectable but that is in today's money. Part of the issue is that rabies is so unbelievably rare in the US we have more demand which DOES increase the price.
All that said, nothing excuses this price, even $500 for one shot in a major metropolitan city is outrageous.