the total up to this point is $122,773.32
it's a bit overwhelming to see some of the charges on paper. for instance, the original ambulance ride was listed as "life sustaining"; simply to drive the few miles it did was $475- that didn't include everything else. the ride was $2368.45. it makes me wonder if it costs less if it's not a "life sustaining" ride?
every time i see a charge for a brain ct scan i feel as anxious as i did then waiting the result of brain damage. those ct scans were $2574 a pop.
the daily room charge for the icu was $1180. that's by far the most expensive room we have stayed in!
his defibrillator & procedure was a whopping $55,850. that's pretty cheap insurance for a lifetime of peace of mind and security this won't happen again.
the most shocking charge was the $256 charge by the original icu doctor that shared the bleak news of pete's condition upon arrival. before, i think i would've thought it was ridiculous for a doctor to charge for that consultation. afterall, isn't it just part of their job? i feel differently now. i can't imagine that would be an easy thing to have to tell a young wife that her husband was very sick with a 2-5% survival rate. not an easy thing to have to do. certainly deserves a consultation charge.
$122,773.32. what a small price to pay for life. thankfully we will just be responsible for a small portion of this bill, but i would have paid it all because i got to keep my husband. there's no amount of money that would've been too much to pay to keep the love of my life.
8 comments:
very interesting. thanks for sharing. soooo glad you had insurance!! and that you still have a husband.
Money well spent! I have to say that I think the doctors fee is the most reasonable. He stood by Pete's bedside for 6 hours (at least) and that is less than $50 per hour. (If I understood you correctly) The CT scans kill me - that machine is long paid for. 50K for a 2 hour procedure and a little computer chip - sign me up for that job! I would be interested to see what they charged you for juice and crackers. Little did you know those snacks were made of gold! :) It starts to seem like Monopoly money when the totals are that ridiculous. Even if you had to pay every sent in cash, worth every penny!
i was under the impression that all the cokes were free, at least that's what i told pete. :) every time i went across the hall to get another one out of the nurse's lounge he wanted to confirm that the insurance was paying for all of those drinks! like i really had that many!
worth ever penny money is not the question we are talking about a life A life that is far more valuable than cash
thank goodness this didnt happen while you guys were without insurance. that would have been a whole new nightmare
oh JEN! I'm so happy you have your husband. Medical bills are ridiculous but your husbands life was worth every penny. I really am so happy all turned out good for you guys. When I was in utah for christmas and would drive down the hill i would think of you every time i saw your house. Pittsburgh is good. I like it for now, I don't want to live here for life but I'm happy.
Now Pete can never complain that you are the high maintenance one out of the two of you!
Pete has been compared to Superman, The Bionic Man. Now he is headed for The Million Dollar Man.
Post a Comment