What I'm paying to find out I don't have breast cancer. I have insurance. (Ultrasound and mammogram in the USA)

Healthcare can't be left to the free market. Simply because the demand part of the market isn't free.

My country screens like 10% of total (mostly) boob-havers per year for free (the number would heve been higher if more ppl decided to get tested). So basically everyone is invited, with mobile test units (just big containers/trucks) roaming around the country for the elderly, or for a bit more remote villages, or just to spread awareness & make someone get screened out of convenience.

Since September my wife has had about ten CTs, three MRIs, two major surgeries (the last one 7 hours long), one emergency surgery, weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatments and about 8 weeks hospitalised including some time in the ICU.

Total cost: $0

Unless you count the cost of parking when I visit her in hospital, in which case I’ve spent about $170 USD

This is in New Zealand with a publicly funded health system.

First of all, I am glad you do not have breast cancer.

In the Netherlands...Every year or two a buss comes to our village where one can get tested for breast cancer.for free.

For those unaware how Health Insurance works in the states.

You can have health insurance all you want. Especially if this bill is recent, they will cover a large part of the cost, but most people are still on the hook for Usually between $1000-1500 of all healthcare before insurance REALLY kicks in. This is called the Deductible (and Out of Pocket) expense. You also pay a 'Premium', essentially a subscription cost that normally comes directly out of your paycheck.

For single coverage, just yourself, it's about $1200. For family coverage, where your insurance covers everyone in your house, It's usually double that. So ~$2,500-3,000.

So this person probably hasn't had any bills yet this year. Once they pay about $1500 in costs, everything after that becomes (mostly) free. Depending on what you have, insurance will pay anywhere from only 80% - 100% of the cost from whatever the procedures and meds are.

Then funny part is that some places in America the cost is so high, this might be a situation where their insurance DID kick in already and their insurance is still making them pay that much. Or it's a case where you get a bill for that much but your insurance hasn't paid it yet... so it looks like you're supposed to... so you do... then two months later you get a check for that amount.

It's so. Damn. Silly. And I resent Republicans every day for it. That's not even the Fascist MAGA Theocracy republicans. Just your stock standard ones lmfao.

America is well overdue for a revolution.

I'm supposed to have a colonoscopy because of my celiac

This is why I don't

Oh, but we have the best healthcare system in the world (which is why I'm thousands in medical debt despite having good insurance with no sign of a diagnosis or treatment) and you have super long wait times in other countries (which is why I had to wait almost a year to get a new neurologist when my old one retired).

But hey, we keep the health insurance industry making money for its shareholders, so there's that.

My wife and I have 'the best insurance in the city" we've been told by practitioners. Standard bloodwork costs me several hundred dollars.

Honestly do not mean this as a troll, but each and every one of us should call our house representative and let them know that we would appreciate more assistance from them when it comes to how much we have to pay for our out of cost expenses.

https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Just stating our displeasure with the current costs here on Lemmy doesn't help resolve anything.

I had shitty insurance when I worked for a major retailer, and I had to go to the ER.

My copay was $300 plus 40% of the bill.

Turned out uninsured people making under $100,000 a year got a 90% discount at that hospital, so it was actually more than 4x the cost because I was insured.

I've got to be honest, as a fellow American with chronic health problems, that seems dirt cheap for a diagnosis.

Ex wife was denied a mammogram due to having too many, according to her insurance company. Cancer runs in her family and doctors have discovered lumps they want to keep an eye on.

Mom died of breast cancer. On my bd last month.

She felt a lump, didn't get it checked, figured it was a bit of fake titty that broke loose. Would have cost too much to get looked at.

Found she had breast cancer. Her chemo stent got infected, wanted to wait until Monday to have it seen. Would have cost too much.

Husband drove her 2-hours through 14° weather, snow and mountains and all, to the ER. Dead within 24 hours.

But hey! Another dead conservative Boomer! Win?

Honestly that's kind of on you for having breasts

Congrats tho. Just lost a friend to breast cancer that was suspected years ago but not confirmed until december. Seriously, congrats.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but shit like this is what prevents people from taking preventative measures.

I think this is one those situations where "I did all that for nothing" is way better outcome

Could be worse. You could have paid that to find out you do have breast cancer...

I'm having a tooth extraction at an oral surgeon later this month and I just found out I'm paying $450 for it. If there's a complication it'll be $1100. I also have insurance.

I'm so used to it, I was expecting more. "that's it?" - i thought to myself, in this boring dystopia.

Everything in this fucking country is a giant predatory scheme.

Wtf, as a Canadian who had a breast reduction and a revision for free this sort of thing seems like a nightmare to me.

Sometime last year I felt some lumps in my scrotum. worried it could be a sign of balls cancer, I went and had them checked. I have probably better health insurance than most people i know. Cost about the same. Outrageous. but hey, turns out i don't have balls cancer so i guess it could be worse.

You can't just drop that without details. Plan name. State. Monthly premium. Obamacare subsidy or no.

I thought a yearly mammogram was always covered with insurance after the ACA was passed? Or maybe that's only after a certain age?

i got charged a few thousand (i think $3000?) for a regular ass MRI in Georgia. in italy the same thing would cost like €200-300 at most, probably less

Don't worry, every month we pay $1k for the pleasure of paying retail price on prescriptions until we hit our deductible. Only 9k to go!

And how much are you paying for your health insurance?

Yeah it sucks. If it's coded as "screening" it's covered. As a tip - my GYN says she can see as much in the 3d mammogram as she can with the regular plus ultrasound and that one she can code as screening and it costs about $25 as an add-on.

I just paid over $2000 to find out I don't have throat cancer. Also have insurance. That's just the cost of a 5 minute laryngoscopy and a 10 minute CT scan.

Did they charge you $64.77 for the cup some water came in, and $78.12 for the water itself?

Yeah luckily that is free over here. Every few years, and always if a doc orders it.

Shameless plug for NZ: https://www.timetoscreen.nz/breast-screening/sign-up/

But then of course you'd have to live somewhere that isn't the greatest country in the world.

I had a $3000 bill for something similar and let it go to collections 2 years ago. I'm not fucking paying that. I just keep contesting the charges and it hasn't yet hit my credit. I imagine it will catch up with me eventually though.

🤬

Empire aka "The Land of the Free" "sarcasm"

I have never seen charges like this for breast imaging under insurance before. Something is wrong, either billing or the insurance. The only way I can see this if the imaging was ordered without a proper reason...but likely not.

You know, you could just not pay it. Hospitals can't jail you for not paying, nor can they refuse you service.

The only thing that happens is your credit score goes down. That's it. (And pretty soon that won't be a thing anymore.)

So don't stress it; ignore medical debt.

Come live with us, mammograms and shit is free.

Mammograms are one of the few things in my country that's completely free. You need to pay at least a little for almost all other healthcare.

I guess it's a good investment to have peace of mind! /s