My wife has been battling liver problems since early January. This past May I came home one night and fixed supper, as she was sleeping. When she came upstairs to eat she looked liked warmed over death, with skin and eyeballs the color of a D7 Cat. I didn't waste any time getting her to the ER at our main hospital 40 miles away.
It was the first really nice Friday night of the summer, and after doing the requisite paperwork, we waited, and waited, and waited, and waited. We got there about 8:15, and the ER was busy with idiots who had managed to hurt themselves after getting drunk or high. And they just kept coming in, and being seen ahead of us. Some refused treatment and left, the cops brought one in, etc. Two spoke no English, needed terps, and then left because they had an argument with the terp. My guess is that the dozen or more who arrived after us had no insurance or were on Obozocare or Medicaid.
Finally around 11 pm we got in to see the Doc. Other than taking vitals and getting her history, giving the wife an IV, and doing a blood draw, they did nothing except call the ambulance to transport her to UNMC in Omaha at 3 am. NOTHING.
The bill came yesterday. Keep in mind she was under the ER's care less than 4 hours, and got nothing but an IV and a blood draw. The bill was $9,740! BCBS discounted $1363, and paid $8,276. Our share is $100, which I'm thankful for. I told the wife that Blue Cross paid for the others in the ER that night. Almost $3,000/hour for her to lay there with an IV! (Shakes head)
God only knows what they would charge for someone who came in that really needed their services. Abso-farking-lutely ridiculous.
But we did enjoy free WiFi while waiting.....
:evil: :evil: :evil: