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How much do Americans actually pay for healthcare? (pawb.social)

submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Hey all, I'm British so I don't really know the ins and outs of the US healthcare system. Apologies for asking what is probably a rather simple question.

So like most of you, I see many posts and gofundmes about people having astronomically high medical bills. Most recently, someone having a $27k bill even after his death.

However, I have an American friend who is quick to point out that apparently nobody actually pays those bills. They're just some elaborate dance between insurance companies and hospitals. If you don't have insurance, the cost is lower or removed entirely. Supposedly.

So I'm just asking... How accurate is that? Consider someone without insurance, a minor physical ailment, a neurodivergent mind and no interest in fighting off harassing people for the rest of their life.

How much would such a person expect to pay, out of their own pocket, for things like check ups, x rays, meds, counselling and so on?

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

To your point about billing -
My insurer recently informed me that a claim submitted last September had been denied. Looking at the original explanation of benefits from September, it indicated that the insurer didn’t think the medical code was appropriate for the appointment, and wanted more information - stating they would work with the hospital to work it out.
I haven’t heard anything from the hospital, but I’m growing concerned they may just send the bill to collections due to the time elapsed.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Yeah, I've had the experience of paying off a bill, only for the hospital to, about a year later, send us a newly adjusted bill from the same encounter where they discovered we actually owed them a further three hundred. Healthcare is the only field where this kind of shit is tolerated as a routine matter. Any other business doing that would be shamed in town square, but it's Tuesday for healthcare.