boutons_deux
06-14-2021, 06:22 AM
AXIOS email:
"1 big thing: Hospitals v. their patients
Rising deductibles and out-of-pocket costs are increasingly leaving patients responsible for steep medical bills, Axios Vitals (https://link.axios.com/click/24141670.604972/aHR0cDovL2xpbmsuYXhpb3MuY29tL2pvaW4vdml0YWxzLXNpZ2 51cD91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1l bWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249bmV3c2xldHRlcl9heGlvc2FtJn N0cmVhbT10b3A/6004bc4704300c1ae269be66B63507140) found in a joint investigation (https://link.axios.com/click/24141670.604972/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tL2hvc3BpdGFsLWJpbGxpbm c_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1h aWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXJfYXhpb3NhbSZzdH JlYW09dG9w/6004bc4704300c1ae269be66B4a3b1c4e) with Johns Hopkins University.
Stephen Swett, a 44-year old truck driver, went to the emergency room at Westchester Medical Center in New York in 2018, seeking help for withdrawal from Suboxone, which treats opioid addiction.
He says the hospital didn't do anything: He just sat on a gurney, then was discharged. But last June — 28 months later — the hospital filed a court summons in an effort to collect $2,539.43 it said he owed.
Among our findings:
Medical debt comprises 58% of all debt collections in the U.S. and has caused hundreds of thousands of Americans to file for bankruptcy.
Some hospitals turn to liens (https://link.axios.com/click/24141670.604972/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tL3NvbWUtaG9zcGl0YWxzLX R1cm4tdG8tbGllbnMtaW5zdGVhZC1vZi1sYXdzdWl0cy04Nzg0 NWVmYi04MjQxLTQ2YTAtYTQ2Yi02YmQ5ZmU2OTAzZDguaHRtbD 91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFp bCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249bmV3c2xldHRlcl9heGlvc2FtJnN0cm VhbT10b3A/6004bc4704300c1ae269be66B4a629397) instead of lawsuits. Liens can allow hospitals to claim a portion of a personal-injury settlement — and can catch patients off-guard.
From 2018 to mid-2020, the period covered by our study, just 10 hospitals were responsible for 97% of court actions against patients. The two leaders were VCU Medical Center in Richmond and University Hospital in Charlottesville, Va., both of which stopped suing patients in 2020.
Most top hospitals charge a more than 5x markup, Axios health care editor Tina Reed writes (https://link.axios.com/click/24141670.604972/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tL3RleGFzLXBlbm5zeWx2YW 5pYS1ob3NwaXRhbHMtdG9wLWF2ZXJhZ2UtbWFya3Vwcy03MDU0 Y2I3My0yODYyLTQ4ZTUtODU5MC02YzEwYzc5ZjFmNjAuaHRtbD 91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFp bCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249bmV3c2xldHRlcl9heGlvc2FtJnN0cm VhbT10b3A/6004bc4704300c1ae269be66Bfd2eff86).
Some of the hospitals with the highest revenue also have some of the highest prices, charging an average of 10 times more than the actual cost of the care they deliver.
Of the top 100 largest hospitals in the U.S., 57 were charging more than five times the average cost of the care they provided.
Hospitals said few ever pay the actual price — it's a tactic to negotiate with insurers. But the prices can be used for uninsured patients. And a 2017 study (https://link.axios.com/click/24141670.604972/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaGVhbHRoYWZmYWlycy5vcmcvZG9pL2Z1bG wvMTAuMTM3Ny9obHRoYWZmLjIwMTYuMDk4Nj91dG1fc291cmNl PW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcG FpZ249bmV3c2xldHRlcl9heGlvc2FtJnN0cmVhbT10b3A/6004bc4704300c1ae269be66Bf8a3d824) showed that each additional dollar of list price results in 15–20 cents more revenue for the hospital, incentivizing higher markups."
America is fucked and unfuckable
"1 big thing: Hospitals v. their patients
Rising deductibles and out-of-pocket costs are increasingly leaving patients responsible for steep medical bills, Axios Vitals (https://link.axios.com/click/24141670.604972/aHR0cDovL2xpbmsuYXhpb3MuY29tL2pvaW4vdml0YWxzLXNpZ2 51cD91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1l bWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249bmV3c2xldHRlcl9heGlvc2FtJn N0cmVhbT10b3A/6004bc4704300c1ae269be66B63507140) found in a joint investigation (https://link.axios.com/click/24141670.604972/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tL2hvc3BpdGFsLWJpbGxpbm c_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1h aWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXJfYXhpb3NhbSZzdH JlYW09dG9w/6004bc4704300c1ae269be66B4a3b1c4e) with Johns Hopkins University.
Stephen Swett, a 44-year old truck driver, went to the emergency room at Westchester Medical Center in New York in 2018, seeking help for withdrawal from Suboxone, which treats opioid addiction.
He says the hospital didn't do anything: He just sat on a gurney, then was discharged. But last June — 28 months later — the hospital filed a court summons in an effort to collect $2,539.43 it said he owed.
Among our findings:
Medical debt comprises 58% of all debt collections in the U.S. and has caused hundreds of thousands of Americans to file for bankruptcy.
Some hospitals turn to liens (https://link.axios.com/click/24141670.604972/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tL3NvbWUtaG9zcGl0YWxzLX R1cm4tdG8tbGllbnMtaW5zdGVhZC1vZi1sYXdzdWl0cy04Nzg0 NWVmYi04MjQxLTQ2YTAtYTQ2Yi02YmQ5ZmU2OTAzZDguaHRtbD 91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFp bCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249bmV3c2xldHRlcl9heGlvc2FtJnN0cm VhbT10b3A/6004bc4704300c1ae269be66B4a629397) instead of lawsuits. Liens can allow hospitals to claim a portion of a personal-injury settlement — and can catch patients off-guard.
From 2018 to mid-2020, the period covered by our study, just 10 hospitals were responsible for 97% of court actions against patients. The two leaders were VCU Medical Center in Richmond and University Hospital in Charlottesville, Va., both of which stopped suing patients in 2020.
Most top hospitals charge a more than 5x markup, Axios health care editor Tina Reed writes (https://link.axios.com/click/24141670.604972/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tL3RleGFzLXBlbm5zeWx2YW 5pYS1ob3NwaXRhbHMtdG9wLWF2ZXJhZ2UtbWFya3Vwcy03MDU0 Y2I3My0yODYyLTQ4ZTUtODU5MC02YzEwYzc5ZjFmNjAuaHRtbD 91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFp bCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249bmV3c2xldHRlcl9heGlvc2FtJnN0cm VhbT10b3A/6004bc4704300c1ae269be66Bfd2eff86).
Some of the hospitals with the highest revenue also have some of the highest prices, charging an average of 10 times more than the actual cost of the care they deliver.
Of the top 100 largest hospitals in the U.S., 57 were charging more than five times the average cost of the care they provided.
Hospitals said few ever pay the actual price — it's a tactic to negotiate with insurers. But the prices can be used for uninsured patients. And a 2017 study (https://link.axios.com/click/24141670.604972/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaGVhbHRoYWZmYWlycy5vcmcvZG9pL2Z1bG wvMTAuMTM3Ny9obHRoYWZmLjIwMTYuMDk4Nj91dG1fc291cmNl PW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcG FpZ249bmV3c2xldHRlcl9heGlvc2FtJnN0cmVhbT10b3A/6004bc4704300c1ae269be66Bf8a3d824) showed that each additional dollar of list price results in 15–20 cents more revenue for the hospital, incentivizing higher markups."
America is fucked and unfuckable