$46,098; $18,310; $265. Or, why I love Medicare

[stopbush]

I had surgery in January. Here’s what those three dollar amounts above mean:

$46,098 - the amount my provider billed Medicare

$18,310 - the amount Medicare approved, and the amount accepted as payment in full by my provider

$265 - my share of the bill.

And as my Medicare premium is paid thru a deduction from my monthly SS check, I don’t have to worry about losing my insurance.

I WISH ALL AMERICANS HAD ACCESS TO MEDICARE! Don’t we deserve it?

[RoadRunner]

1. Doesn't work so great for emergency rooms

I went in November. Bill was $11,000. Medicare paid $900. But, it works great for hospitals.

[stopbush]

2. It depends. I ended up in two ERs on Xmas eve after an STV incident, then overnight

for observation. Total bill was over $10,000. My share was $90.

[lettucebe]

3. I agree but isn't it a bit of a scam that the difference is a tax write-off?

They know they won't get the amount billed, in fact, isn't it just a grossly inflated number just for the purpose of creating a tax write-off? Maybe someone can explain that this isn't the case and if it is, why are we going along with it?

I have private insurance (one 1/2 yrs away from Medicare) and last year had event that landed me in ICU on a ventilator for four days, hospital for a week. My bill was over $130,000 -- I paid less than $3k due to my out-of-pocket, then had free medical and prescriptions for the rest of the year. So, if you have an event that causes you to have to fully pay out-of-pocket, then you get the experience of being on Medicare.

That was just four days in ICU -- the coronavirus patients are taking a long long time, far more than four days. Imagine their bills? So, win for insurance company because they can just write-off any that isn't paid

[stopbush]

4. My provider is Kaiser Permanente, which is a closed system.

The doctors et al are employed by Kaiser. I don't know who gets a write off- the hospital or their administrative division.