August 30, 2012

• WHOA!

  Just when I thought all the bills for my eye surgery were in, along comes the one from the surgeon.  The surgical center's bill was so high I naively thought it included the doctor's bill.  Not so.  Her bill for the surgery alone comes to $7,200, plus $250 for the pre-surgery exam and $100 for the lense implant.  $7,200 ain't bad for one hour's work, wouldn't you say?  But, of course, she's not getting anywhere near that.  After the write-offs, Medicare paid her $448.05 and I must pay $395.82. So she's actually getting $843.87 for one hour's work (plus several office visits afterwards).  I would work for that.

  Of all the wretched excess, the one that puzzles me the most is the one from the surgical center.  They billed $2,297 for the cataract removal and $2,257 for the glaucoma surgery.  For that they provided me with four hours of lying on a bed and operating table, a plastic eye shield with a roll of tape, booties, a hair net, and a half-size garment bag.  Oh, and cookies and juice in the recovery room.  No wonder hospitals are forever in the middle of multi-million dollar building programs.

  So the total bills amounted to $12,985, I paid $680.49, and I have to go through the whole thing again on Sep. 25 on the other eye. 

  • 10:50 am
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