<[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Don said:
Ha, seems no one wants to discuss prices. I just go to the doctor and find out what the charge is "later". I would feel like a fool asking how much they charge ahead of time. Are we supposed to?
We certainly do in the UK. In 2000 an angiogram was £1200 and heart surgery £15 -£20,000. I paid for the angiogram but would not have thought of doing that without knowing the price first. Diana
Quoted message said:
I'm curious as to how that would work. Are those the costs if you go outside "the system" or does pretty much everyone pay around that? In the US I think the typical full cost of an angiogram would probably be more, but the amount the patient pays after typical employer provided insurance would probably be less.
Thanks.
Bill
Yes Bill. When I started asking questions about surgery after the cardiologist had said "you can go home, its not desperate" he told me the waiting time on the NHS for an angiogram (the first step in the process) would be about nine months and surgery, if required, maybe twelve months after that. I decided to start paying but after the angiogram I realised he was just fitting me in between NHS work. He actually wanted me to turn up at a private hospital at 5pm on a Friday which meant I would need to stay overnight adding another £300 to the cost. When I complained it was re-arranged for 8 a.m. in the morning. So I cancelled my idea of paying for surgery; just to step back and consider the options as I was being treated badly. Nothing was being explained. His fee was £600 and the rest was for the cath lab and staff. The £15,000 for MV surgery was explained to me as a 'package' covering surgeons fee and ten days stay in private hospital. In the event my stay in the NHS hospital was two weeks. Diana
<[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
On Thu, 20 May 2004 22:27:39 -0400, "Don" <[email hidden]> wrote:
>Ha, seems no one wants to discuss prices. I just go to >the doctor and find out what the charge is "later". I >would feel like a fool asking how much they charge >ahead of time. Are we supposed to?
We certainly do in the UK. In 2000 an angiogram was £1200 and heart surgery £15 -£20,000. I paid for the angiogram but would not have thought of doing that without knowing the price first. Diana > > >
I'm curious as to how that would work. Are those the costs if you go outside "the system" or does pretty much everyone pay around that? In the US I think the typical full cost of an angiogram would probably be more, but the amount the patient pays after typical employer provided insurance would probably be less.
Thanks.
Bill
Yes Bill. When I started asking questions about surgery after the cardiologist had said "you can go home, its not desperate" he told me the waiting time on the NHS for an angiogram (the first step in the process) would be about nine months and surgery, if required, maybe twelve months after that. I decided to start paying but after the angiogram I realised he was just fitting me in between NHS work. He actually wanted me to turn up at a private hospital at 5pm on a Friday which meant I would need to stay overnight adding another £300 to the cost. When I complained it was re-arranged for 8 a.m. in the morning. So I cancelled my idea of paying for surgery; just to step back and consider the options as I was being treated badly. Nothing was being explained. His fee was £600 and the rest was for the cath lab and staff. The £15,000 for MV surgery was explained to me as a 'package' covering surgeons fee and ten days stay in private hospital. In the event my stay in the NHS hospital was two weeks. Diana
Sorry that you have seen the uglier side of socialized medicine.
<[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
<[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
On Thu, 20 May 2004 22:27:39 -0400, "Don" <[email hidden]> wrote:
>Ha, seems no one wants to discuss prices. I just go to >the doctor and
find
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
>out what the charge is "later". I would feel like a >fool asking how
much
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
>they charge ahead of time. Are we supposed to?
We certainly do in the UK. In 2000 an angiogram was £1200 and heart surgery £15 -£20,000. I paid for the angiogram but would not have thought of doing that without knowing the price first. Diana > > >
I'm curious as to how that would work. Are those the costs if you go
outside
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
"the system" or does pretty much everyone pay around that? In the US I
think
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
the typical full cost of an angiogram would probably be more, but the
amount
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
the patient pays after typical employer provided insurance would probably
be
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
less.
Thanks.
Bill
Yes Bill. When I started asking questions about surgery after the cardiologist had said "you can go home, its not desperate" he told me the waiting time on the NHS for an angiogram (the first step in the process) would be about nine months and surgery, if required, maybe twelve months after that. I decided to start paying but after the angiogram I realised he was just fitting me in between NHS work. He actually wanted me to turn up at a private hospital at 5pm on a Friday which meant I would need to stay overnight adding another £300 to the cost. When I complained it was re-arranged for 8 a.m. in the morning. So I cancelled my idea of paying for surgery; just to step back and consider the options as I was being treated badly. Nothing was being explained. His fee was £600 and the rest was for the cath lab and staff. The £15,000 for MV surgery was explained to me as a 'package' covering surgeons fee and ten days stay in private hospital. In the event my stay in the NHS hospital was two weeks. Diana
Thanks Diana. I assume if you waited the 9 months the costs would be zero or close?
I have to admit the whole thing seems strange to me. Either the angiogram makes some sense - i.e. it could help prevent a heart problem - in which case you should not wait 9 months or it does not, in which case you should not have it at all. Same with the surgery. I could develop problems just worrying while waiting. 🙂
