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$68,400 Dollars Billed for Cancer/Chemo Treatment,So Far! Part III of a Series on Health Care Costs.
What’s the Cost of getting your health back?
This is part III of an ongoing series about an actual Cancer patient, a friend, who has agreed to share his experience with us. The cost of Healthcare, what’s covered by Health Insurance and what is not, and how it could affect any of us. If you would like to read Part I and Part II to catch up, just follow the links.
It’s now January and it’s been just about three months since the Cancer diagnosis. Up to now, he’s been through several Scans, X-Rays, Biopsies, Blood Tests, Heart Tests and a Port Implant. This is all prior to any treatment.
For those that don’t really know what Chemo is, it is a series of drugs that are injected directly into your blood, in my friends case administered every 3 weeks, for six treatments. The drugs that are given depends on the kind of Cancer that you have. Chemo is extremely hard on the immune system, so blood tests are taken every week after the treatment to check on blood counts. If the blood test show that your blood counts are not too low, and your immune system is not too bad, then on the third week another treatment is given.
Since my last post a few weeks ago he has had two more Chemo treatments, for a total of 3, he is about halfway done. The side effects have started to hit him, nausea is with him every morning for at least the first two weeks after Chemo. As part of the Chemo treatment, he has to take a steroid for 5 days after treatment and that is almost more bothersome than the nausea. It makes you very jittery and doesn’t let you sleep well. He is weak and cannot do the everyday things he used to do. But overall he feels surprisingly well, he is in his early fifties and wonders how the older folks do it.
The bills keep coming in. Although his insurance covers most of it, except for his deductible, both sides send statements. You get a statement from the Doctor or Facility and your Insurance Company. It is a mountain of paperwork to wade through. I cannot imagine a single person dealing with the illness and the paperwork without any help. You have to keep up with what’s been billed, and if it has been billed correctly, what’s been paid, and if it has been paid correctly. You almost have to act as a liaison between the two because mistakes are made, often on both sides.
So Far Billed: $68,470.11
Here are the costs so far:
| Description | Billed | Ins. Pays | Ded | Co- Pay | Month | SubTotal | Total |
| Regular Checkup 7/10 | 120.00 | 66.06 | 25.00 | 91.06 | 91.06 | ||
| Insurance Premium | 736.00 | 736.00 | 827.06 | ||||
| Appt w/ Specialist 8/15 | 175.00 | 81.03 | 45.00 | 126.03 | 953.09 | ||
| Blodd Tests 7/10 | 145.00 | 12.03 | 12.03 | 965.12 | |||
| Colonoscopy 9/21 | 1080.00 | 0.00 | 505.63 | 505.63 | 1470.75 | ||
| Colonoscopy/Facility 9/21 | 2157.32 | 0.00 | 377.10 | 377.10 | 1847.85 | ||
| Blood Tests 10/11 | 403.31 | 61.75 | 61.75 | 1909.60 | |||
| Colonoscopy/Surg 9/21 | 197.50 | 93.37 | 93.37 | 2002.97 | |||
| Colo Anasthesia 9/21 | 665.00 | 0.00 | 406.00 | 406.00 | 2408.97 | ||
| CAT Scan 9/28 | 1932.00 | 0.00 | 504.89 | 504.89 | 2913.86 | ||
| Oncologist Visit 10/11 | 346.00 | 251.19 | 251.19 | 3165.05 | |||
| Onc Visit/Facility 10/11 | 202.00 | 135.34 | 135.34 | 3300.39 | |||
| PET Scan 10/15 | 3300.00 | 2032.23 | 206.38 | 2238.61 | 5539.00 | ||
| Bone Marrow Biopsy 10/18 | 297.00 | 272.94 | 272.94 | 5811.94 | |||
| Lab for Bone Marrow 10/18 | 3422.00 | 1591.12 | 1591.12 | 7403.06 | |||
| Bone Marrow Facility 10/18 | 931.00 | 618.10 | 618.10 | 8021.16 | |||
| Oncologist Visit 10/25 | 125.00 | 100.94 | 100.94 | 8122.10 | |||
| Onc Visit/Facility 10/25 | 146.00 | 97.82 | 97.82 | 8219.92 | |||
| Insurance Premium | 736.00 | 736.00 | 8955.92 | ||||
| Lymph Biopsy/Facility 10/30 | 3827.29 | 964.08 | 964.08 | 9920.00 | |||
| Lymph Biopsy/Doctor 10/30 | 550.00 | 265.54 | 265.54 | 10185.54 | |||
| Ultrasound 10/30 | 93.00 | 37.02 | 37.02 | 10222.56 | |||
| Lymph Pathology 10/30 | 2375.00 | 593.79 | 593.79 | 10816.35 | |||
| Oncologist Visit 11/6 | 176.00 | 136.92 | 136.92 | 10953.27 | |||
| Blood Tests 11/9 | 118.00 | 17.31 | 17.31 | 10970.58 | |||
| Mugga Test (heart) 11/9 | 552.00 | 309.19 | 309.19 | 11279.77 | |||
| Prescription/Prednisone | 8.78 | 3.21 | 11.99 | 11291.76 | |||
| Prescription/ Allopurinol | 12.59 | 12.59 | 11304.35 | ||||
| Chest Xray/11/13 | 23.00 | 10.74 | 10.74 | 11315.09 | |||
| Port Implant/doc/11/13 | 783.00 | 745.80 | 745.80 | 12060.89 | |||
| Oncologist Visit 11/15 | 176.00 | Pending | 0.00 | 12060.89 | |||
| Port Implant Fac 11/13 | 8327.29 | Pending | 0.00 | 12060.89 | |||
| Blood Tests 11/26 | 48.50 | 7.60 | 7.60 | 12068.49 | |||
| Fac Charge 11/15 | 146.00 | 97.82 | 97.82 | 12166.31 | |||
| 1st Chemo 11/19 | 13292.00 | 3675.00 | 3675.00 | 15841.31 | |||
| 1st Chemo 11/20 | 4570.00 | 3061.90 | 3061.90 | 18903.21 | |||
| Blood Tests 12/3 | 48.50 | 7.60 | 7.60 | 18910.81 | |||
| Blood Test 12/10 | 129.20 | 17.94 | 17.94 | 18928.75 | |||
| Oncologist visit 12/11 | 176.00 | 136.92 | 136.92 | 19065.67 | |||
| 2nd Chemo 12/11 | 16916.00 | 3675.00 | 3675.00 | 22740.67 | |||
| Blood test 12/18 | 48.50 | 7.60 | 7.60 | 22748.27 | |||
| Blood Tests 12/26 | 48.50 | 7.60 | 7.60 | 22755.87 | |||
| Insurance Premium | 736.00 | 736.00 | 23491.87 | ||||
| Blood test 1/02 | 48.50 | 7.60 | 7.60 | 23499.47 | |||
| Oncologist Visit 1/08 | 176.00 | 136.47 | 136.47 | 23635.94 | |||
| Blood Tests 1/07 | 129.20 | 17.94 | 17.94 | 23653.88 | |||
| Blood Tests 1/14 | 48.50 | 7.60 | 7.60 | 23661.48 |
| Running Totals | 68470.11 | 19231.21 | 2136.47 | 85.80 | 2208.00 | 23661.48 |
on January 27th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Excellent article which indeed describes the failed system we have with so-called “managed care.”
Underwriters? Adjusters? Wondering who in the USA gave these people the “right to tell us what is or isn’t covered”
Isn’t that exactly the same as “practicing medicine without a license?”
Eliminate the underwriters, you eliminate the paperwork and their 40% cut of your premium.
Since 1992 several entities have don just that.
More info/governing body http://www.ConsumerHealthAlliance.org
The True Meaning “In Good Hands” Our own hands at 1970 rates without deductibles.
I to am a Cancer survivor and have more benefits than I could use in my lifetime.
Daily if needed! Without having to obtain permission first.
I Pray your friend comes out okay with his disease.
Many Blessings!
Debbie
on January 27th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
How messed up? So messed up I don’t even know what to say. My wife is a Clinical Nurse Specialist and Nurse Practitioner in a busy hospital. The vies from the inside is ugly too!
This is a great series of posts. Dugg and Stumbled. People need to see this.
-Will