Recently I needed medical intervention for a skin rash that had morphed into cellulitis in my left leg. I was in hospital a little short of three days.
My situation was never life threatening. PeaceHealth gave me blood tests, lab work, liquid antibiotics. I was discharged with a prescription for a generic pharmaceutical costing $4. Cool!
But then came the reality, the bills.
Medicare took care of $19,000 of the $22,000-something bill. I became liable for around $2,600. Two hours in the emergency room was almost $1,000. Without Medicare I would have faced a $23,000 bill. Ridiculous!
I requested a detailed breakdown of my hospital bill.
The presiding doctors? Almost $500 per hour. An antibiotic available elsewhere for $15? More than $170. Saline drip? $100 an hour. My windowless basement room? $6,000.
Well, I did get room service…
Once you walk through their doors you become their captive. They can charge anything they want, pretty much.
PeaceHealth would immediately go out of business if they were operating in the real world, where customers have choices.
Hospitals, in cahoots with the insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industry, enrich one other at the expense of the patient. There’s little wonder that health care in the U.S. is the most expensive in the world. In that breakdown of costs was the evidence.
Why does everyone turn a blind eye to all this? It’s a national scandal.
Peter Holden
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
Comments are closed.