There is a lot said, and even more written, about the US Healthcare System. Interestingly, many people who never been on the receiving end of treatment (or even visited!) this country have strong opinions on it. Even when Ky and I mention that we have had excellent care, and that it is affordable (as insurance covers most/all of it), quite a few of our friends and family are still convinced we live in a medical hellscape.
It isn’t perfect, and admittedly, there is something barbaric about refusing care, or bankrupting, people who are unlucky. The system is EXTREMELY confusing, even for people who are (relatively) smart and speak English as their first language, which is again, at least somewhat fortuitous. And yes, the “sticker price” of some treatments is so astronomically high that whatever you say next just doesn’t compute. Octavia’s birth cost $50k+ (in USD, not Pacific Pesos), but out of pocket, barely anything. Doesn’t matter, you’re still thinking of the $50k+.
The reason I wanted to write about this is that while there are millions of horror stories out there on US Healthcare, I wanted to share something positive that happened today. Consider this the medical equivalent to “My Best SqueezyJet Flight”.
A few months ago, Miss O had a bad accident, landing on a ledge and banging her head. There was a little blood, which is always traumatizing for a parent; doubly so when it is the first time. So we darted off to St Lukes, had the doctor look over her, and left with a much calmer baby, the all clear, and a $4k bill.
OUCH!
Well, insurance covered a lot, but we were staring down a return flight to Aus left to pay. I called this afternoon, credit card in hand, ready to pay off the remainder, and heard the most wonderful news.
I don’t know if it was the doctor who treated us, an exec, a policy, or just plain good luck, but the Hospital decided to comp us the remainder of our bill, wiping our account clean. As the lovely lady on the end of the line said, “this one is on us”!
Anyway, I’m sure you all have your own opinions on this story, so please share them with me (just reply to this email and I’ll get it). Hope you’re all healthy out there!
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