FACTS about health issues, doctors, meds, vaccination, disease & health scams

[Cap'n Preshoot]

Dear friends,

Contrary to the sound of the name of this web site, by spending a little of your time exploring it you will learn, as I have, many interesting, eye-opening things about many topics of health care, endorsing valid treatments and exposing the myths, lies and frauds. I found the site especially enlightening. I hope you do as well and will refer others to this great resource:

http://www.quackwatch.org

I would also like to refer you to another great (free) resource on the subject of your and your family's health care, the National Council Against Health Fraud, which you can find here:  http://www.ncahf.org

NCAHF also sends out a weekly newsletter (Consumer Health Digest) also free, though you have to sign up to receive it.

Please take time to check these out and become an EDUCATED consumer of health services.

Cap'n Preshoot

[Winston]

CARLE HOSPITAL (Urbana, IL) ROOM RATES per day (effective July 1, 2009)

Semi-private........$1,713 - 3,275.53, rates vary due to acuity and care
Private..................$1,812 - 3,463.65     "      "       "          "               " 
Intensive Care......$4,710 - 12,108.80   "      "       "          "               "
Emergency Rm.....$184.90 - 2,274.70  (most common rate is $465)

These are for room only;  doctor services are billed separately.

[Guardian Angel]

We have a friend who had a heart attack earlier this year and was admitted to a Cape Girardeau hospital.  He had no insurance.  He was told he needed a triple by pass and that it would cost 1 million dollars.  He was devastated and essentially went home to die.  Depression set in and his condition deterioated.  Since he was a veteran of the Korean war,  we suggested calling the VA.  He filled out the papers, qualified and saw a VA doctor who also told him he needed immediate attention.  His hospital bill for less than a week in the Cape hospital was $60,000.  He received a note from the hospital saying that if he paid within 30 days they would cut the bill in half.

He was admitted to the University hospital (through the VA) had his surgery and is doing fine.....His bill from the VA, less than $1,200.

[Cap'n Preshoot]

CARLE HOSPITAL (Urbana, IL) ROOM RATES per day (effective July 1, 2009)

Semi-private........$1,713 - 3,275.53, rates vary due to acuity and care
Private..................$1,812 - 3,463.65     "      "       "          "               " 
Intensive Care......$4,710 - 12,108.80   "      "       "          "               "
Emergency Rm.....$184.90 - 2,274.70  (most common rate is $465)

These are for room only;  doctor services are billed separately.

I remember a time when Lakeview Memorial (when it was still called that) raised their semi-private room rate to $60 a day and everyone you talked to had no idea how people could afford to get sick. 

[Cap'n Preshoot]

We have a friend who had a heart attack earlier this year and was admitted to a Cape Girardeau hospital.  He had no insurance.  He was told he needed a triple by pass and that it would cost 1 million dollars.  He was devastated and essentially went home to die.  Depression set in and his condition deterioated.  Since he was a veteran of the Korean war,  we suggested calling the VA.  He filled out the papers, qualified and saw a VA doctor who also told him he needed immediate attention.  His hospital bill for less than a week in the Cape hospital was $60,000.  He received a note from the hospital saying that if he paid within 30 days they would cut the bill in half.

He was admitted to the University hospital (through the VA) had his surgery and is doing fine.....His bill from the VA, less than $1,200.

The VA hospitals are a great resource for the veteran (of which I am one). However, in most areas they are very difficult to get into unless you are literally at death's door. The problem in getting in ahead of time for routine preventive care is that you first have to find a VA doctor who has time in his/her schedule to see you. Once you overcome that hurdle, regular visits are a breeze.  It's the initial one that's tough.  Once I get closer to retirement I plan to get hooked up with a VA Dr in order to save some money. It's a shame they don't take your spouse as well, but given the difficulty in just getting on someone's schedule I imagine the extra load would make it impossible.  Also there's thousnds of returning vets now from Iraq and Afghanastan.  Is the VA in Danville still limited to mental health or do they now have some general practitioners?

[DejaVu]

I remember when I had my son in 1976. The hospital bill was around $1700 and I was only there for 2 days...because the insurance didn't want to pay for 3 days. God knows how much it costs to give birth to a child today.

Take the profits out of health care and we won't have this problem.

[Winston]

God knows how much it costs to give birth to a child today.

Well, I'm not God, but I do know Delivery Room = $2,660 a day at Carle now.    

[Cap'n Preshoot]

God knows how much it costs to give birth to a child today.

Well, I'm not God, but I do know Delivery Room = $2,660 a day at Carle now.    

That's the amount the hospital bills your insurance, but it's likely not the "negotiated amount" the insurance co. pays.