of course I what as much medical care as
possible what could be the downside Oh
there are a ton for starters how about
the fact that this place rips off folks
like you every day whatever I know the
hospital is expensive but it is worth it
if I get the best treatment no it isn't
American health care is not the best in
the world but despite that we spend more
per person annually on health care than
any other developed nation and a big
part of the reason for that is that
American hospitals overcharge patients
massively this neck brace is worth
twenty dollars but the hospital charged
him a hundred and fifty for this IV bag
costs less than a buck but she was
charged a hundred and thirty seven
dollars these are real prices folks hold
up wildly inflated health care costs
this sounds like the work of politicians
me with an Obamacare Trump aid
McConnell meant what did you do not a
politician I'm just a boring white guy
why does this keep happening sorry
Rachel but this time if not the
politicians fault the problem starts
with something called the charge master
the charge master is a secret document
full of insane prices that hospitals use
to charge us whatever they want let's go
on a trip through the history of medical
billing well I'd rather not
a hundred years ago Hospital printing
was pretty simple
we picked the cost of providing care and
that a little on top to make a profit
one a petition cost us five bucks so
we'll charge you six fishing but after
the rise of insurance evidence hospital
billing got complicated in part because
these gigantic corporations demanded
gigantic discounts we send you thousands
of patients every day so we want half
off all you places we can't afford that
they please these powerful insurance
companies hospitals cooked up a plan
I've got it we'll make up a really high
fake price and then give you a discount
off of that hey as long as I get to tell
my boss we got it cheaper and in less
than a century health care prices went
from reasonable to nonsensical let's
make one Tylenol $37 brief stitches
$2,200 oh here's the pitch what if we
made rectal exams 69 nah that's too
silly even for me
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these crazily inflated prices are kept
in the hospital's chargemaster
it's actually a computer file but the
book is more dramatic seven dollars for
a single alcohol bla this is ridiculous
and true
well I only pay my premiums if they want
to rip off my insurance company with
their fake prices what do I care if you
ever lose insurance you'll care because
here's the really evil part if you don't
have insurance you actually get charged
these fake prices the heart x-rays
that'll be $33,000 I can't afford that
no problem we'll just garnish your wages
wait they actually charge people without
insurance fake prices yeah terrible well
thankfully I have insurance so the
charge master doesn't affect me
unfortunately it does even if you're
insured you can get billed charge master
prices if you go out of network and
anything can be out of network the
hospitals you go through the equipment
used to treat you even the doctors you
see Aero specialists out of network
I'm very expensive hospitals make a ton
of money overcharging out-of-network
patients it's a real cash cow and we all
get milked worse every hospital has its
own charge master a treatment that costs
seven thousand at one hospital could
cost 100 grand down the road
indicate comparison shop when you're
dying which hospital you want money back
Medical or st. Vincent's discount
steakhouse moneybags it is Plus since
your insurance company faces inflated
costs that can trickle down to you in
the form of higher premiums Oh
surprisingly painless where'd you get
the bill
how do they get away with simple the
health care industry spends more on
lobbying than the oil and defense
industries combined
thanks doc Alpha carrier real nice hey
does this face look normal
Oh God so how do I stop it what do I do
honestly nothing we need to go to the
hospital so they have no incentive to
change how they do business and
politicians have spent decades arguing
over how to pay the bill instead of
asking why the bill is so high until
they do we're stuck with this system God
what if I get fired and lose my
insurance I wasn't ruined so anxious
Rachel the doctor will see you now
down the hall to your left well then if
I'm gonna get ripped off I medical
scored some antibiotics I want to be
done with this cold and those miracle
drugs are ways whatever they cost even
if it means the end of modern medicine
you're the worst person I have ever met
and I were to find
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