Health Care Tales

So, I am trying to arrange for a bit of surgery and I say, "Give me a single price for the whole procedure and after care... on a no matter what happens basis... front to back for the whole thing."

"Uh, we don't get how that would work."

The way the system works today it leaves the patient with infinite liability. The hospitals and Doctors want zero liability but are unwilling act in a business like way. If you get a staph infection while at the hospital due to their inability to control their environment then, guess what, you get to pay for the cure for what their inattention caused. The line from the other end of the conversation was, "If you got into a massive heart issue on the operating table then the total 'claim' could exceed a million dollars!" This says they are still thinking that this is an insurance issue rather than one of what happens when no money is present; i.e. a self pay patient. More on this later!!!