As many of you know, my wife has stage V kidney failure along with a plethora of other medical problems. We are fortunate, in that we have a Medicare Advantage plan.
What I find interesting is the disparity between what the providers charge verses what insurance and we pay. So far since January, my wife has incurred $193,570.00 in charges. Our insurance paid, $32,840.48 and we have paid $3,424.13.
Looking at this, one has to wonder who pays the full charges? Several years ago, my sister nearly drowned as a result of having a seizure while she was swimming in a lake in California. She was in the hospital for about 10 days. She didn't have medical insurance at the time. Her hospital bill was just under $60,000. Since she also had no attachable income, that bill was never paid. It would seem that the only people paying these huge charges are wealthy folks who for some idiotic reason choose to not carry medical insurance.
Any thoughts?