hospital bills

Some Hospitals Charge Vastly More for Same Care

Posted on 05/8/2013 by | General News | Comments

Bulletin Today | Money & Savings | Personal HealthBy Connie Cass and Lauran Neergaard, The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Hospitals within the same city sometimes charge tens of thousands of dollars more for the same procedures, according to figures the government released for the first time Wednesday. The federal list sheds new light on the mystery of just how high a hospital bill might go — and whether it’s cheaper to get the care somewhere else. There are vast disparities nationally. The average charges for joint replacement range from about $5,300 …

Will Surprise Hospital Costs Be Outlawed?

Posted on 05/3/2013 by | Health | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal Health | PoliticsBy Susan Jaffe This Kaiser Health News story produced in collaboration with USA Today After Lois Frarie, a 93-year-old retired teacher from Monterey, Calif., spent four days at a local hospital while being treated for a broken elbow and pelvis, she went to a nearby nursing home to build up her strength. But her family was stunned to find out that they would have to pay thousands of dollars up front since two of the days she spent in the …

The Takeaway: Hospital Lets Artists Paint, Perform to Pay Medical Bills

Posted on 06/29/2012 by | Brooklyn, NY | Comments

News RoundupsA Bronx hospital is launching a program that lets artistic patients knock $40 off their medical bills for every hour they spend providing some other “creative activity or service” at the hospital. The Lincoln Art Exchange, at the Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, is essentially a bartering program where actors, musicians, dancers, writers and visual artists can trade their talents for medical care.

An Appendectomy Costs How Much? $1,500 to $182,000 Study Shows

Posted on 04/30/2012 by | Personal Health and Well-being | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal HealthIt was a simple question: How much do hospitals charge to remove an appendix? The answer stunned researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. As the Associated Press reported, the researchers found that California hospitals charge anywhere from the price of a refrigerator to the cost of a house. For this common procedure, patient bills varied from as little as $1,529 to as much as $182,955, with an average of $33,000 — and experts worry that the situation isn’t …