I’m going to post about financial matters, just for fun. I’m going to mention specific figures.
See, in the circles I grew up in money matters weren’t something you usually talked about in public. How much you earned at work, what something cost, etc. etc. were usually kept under wraps. But I am fascinated with business matters and financial issues, and I like to know what the numbers are. They make things much more interesting.
When Mandy was born, the difficult labor and eventual C-section culminated in a six-day hospital stay, if I remember right. The total bill for that little vacation came to right around $20,000. Wow! Thank you God for medical insurance.
Having a chronic disease, I have to take a lot of prescriptions every day. Unfortunately, many disease-specific drugs don’t have cheap generic counterparts. My out-of-pockets costs, AFTER insurance covers the majority, are over $100 a month for my prescriptions.
Regarding my current sabbatical in this medical resort, I came in here last Sunday morning, and the plan is to send me home today. That’s what, about five days. It will be awhile before I know the total bill of course, but I have one little tidbit I want to share with you.
When I was first stricken with Crohn’s Disease, I was deathly sick for about three months before the docs finally got it under control. They piddled around with this weak drug, then that ineffective drug, and on and on. Finally as a last shot before slicing me open and hacking out my colon, they tried a new (very expensive) IV drug called Remicade. It did the trick, I literally started feeling better overnight.
So this week, they finally broke down and brought out the Remicade yesterday. Hopefully it will do the job again and I’ll be feeling better soon.
I wanted to know how much it cost though, so I had the nurse look it up. This one IV infusion of Remicade gently dripped into my veins yesterday cost. . . . $10,714.25. Dead serious. That is not a joke.
So anyway, I hope you enjoyed those numbers. I know I would have if someone else had done something like this, “do unto others” you know.
7 Responses
September 13th, 2007 at 11:27 am
So this morning at the breakfast table I was telling the family about this post, and we were reminiscing about the first time you got Crohn’s, and Ben told how back then he had a little Lego guy that he named Tom, and I asked him why, and he said, “Because he has both a belt and suspenders.”
September 13th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
First of all, it’s sure great that you’re leaving the ‘resort’ today. Hope that plan follows successfully.
But I doubt that any of your readers will actually take any “enjoyment” in such a rip-off as that medication expense, although it sure gives cause to reflect. But if it’s ENJOYMENT you seek, try this real-life scenario:
I have this blindness disability, and therefore am required (seriously) to carry both Medicare Part A and B, as well as that stoopid D .. or “Drug Plan”. And since I’ve never in my lifetime needed any kind of prescription drug, I suppose I’m not a very desirable participant.
In fact, the first plan they “PUT” me on, (since I kept telling S/S I didn’t want it at all), notified me after the first year that their records indicated that I wasn’t using the benefit, & encouraged me to go out and buy “SOMETHING”. Even sent me a whole booklet of prescription drugs I could qualify for. But since I didn’t comply, they cut me off a month or so later.
BUT – Not to be outdone, Medicare simply signed me up with a different drug insurance provider, which now, another year later, has also expressed concern over my neglect of their “valuable benefits”. And short of some imminent catastrophic illness, they too, will be disappointed. (And everybody chimes in …”Yeah, but the minute this guy really NEEDS it, he’ll sure be happy the government is providing it”. So in advance I respond .. “Yep, I guess you’re right .. I guess”
(And Tom sez .. “Hey, man, why don’t you go get your OWN blog !!!”
But still … Hope you get better soon, Tea.
September 13th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
You have got to be kidding!!! I am wondering how much of this liquid gold the metered into your blood stream. Was it 5cc or 100cc? That would be one expensive cc. Kinda like Michael Jordon making $50,000 per free throw or someone getting paid some crazy amount of money to hit a little ball over a wooden fence…
Amazing. What was the nurses cut???
September 13th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
Wow. I’m not all that surprised, but… wow.
Now watch your EOB and see how much of that amount your insurance actually pays and how much the hospital writes off. I’d love to know.
September 14th, 2007 at 11:39 pm
Wow, I knew IV drug use was an expensive habit but I didn’t know it was that bad!!
Can’t wait to see you next week in Yourtopia!
September 16th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
Tom,just think, with those rates, it kind of explains who really does pay for their education huh? When McKenna had her tonsils and adenoids removed, it was about $20,000.00 and she was only in the hospital for less than a day. I could give you some more numbers for some other surgeries, but I will just agree with you and thank God for insurance.
September 16th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
Well Tom, my room and board six years ago for 11 days in the Lebanon Hospital was $24,000.00 ! I never did see the bill for the surgeon for my colon surgery !
Grandpa Miller