9 to 5 by Harley Schwadron for January 14, 2025

One year and 4 months ago I went to the emergency room for an infected finger. I have both insurance and Medicare but some of the bills find me and I have to call the Ins co. Today I got another bill…that puts it over $14000. I think they only paid maybe $2500, BUT if I didn’t have insurance…WOW

Only in Merica

What’s that line in the small print: “I hereby grant in perpetuity the right to bill and collect said bills to ….”

My out of pocket costs after 1 year of the most expensive cancer treatments through 3 hospitals and >20 clinics, a dozen MRIs, tests and oncology therapies has been ONLY my annual Medicare premium deduction from my Social Security check. Health Care in the US is immeasurably amazing and affordable for US citizens. 73 years and still living the American Dream.

Yes you go into an emergency room at 1 hospital and you get 100 different billings! it is stupid, but this is the system people want

As long as they can extract/remove what they need to from your account, the procedure will be deemed a success. The patient make notice some difficulty paying other bills — but that is to be expected.

Must be a third world sh!thole country without single payer/national health.

yeah… every surgery feels like a colonoscopy in the end… (couple a puns there for ya!)

Debits, or drains, your account?