QA問(wèn)答：美國(guó)人真的需要支付高昂的醫(yī)院賬單嗎？

Are Americans really expected to pay outrageous hospital bills?

2025-06-03 道骨仙風(fēng) 4240 33 11 收藏糾錯(cuò)&舉報(bào)

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網(wǎng)友：我母親因細(xì)菌性腦膜炎引發(fā)的感染性休克在ICU去世。她僅病床的費(fèi)用就高達(dá)每晚7000美元，這還不包括任何藥物、特殊治療、食物或設(shè)備。她微薄的政府提供的保險(xiǎn)甚至沒(méi)有覆蓋救護(hù)車(chē)費(fèi)用（4000美元），對(duì)最終賬單幾乎沒(méi)有任何幫助......

正文翻譯

Are Americans really expected to pay outrageous hospital bills?

美國(guó)人真的需要支付高昂的醫(yī)院賬單嗎？

評(píng)論翻譯

Genia Allard
My mother died in ICU from septic shock brought on by bacterial meningitis. Her hospital bed ALONE was $7,000 per night, and that didn't include any medication, special procedures, food, equipment. Her meager government-provided insurance didn't even cover the ambulance ride ($4,000), and hardly made a dent in the final bill. She lived for 10 days without ever waking up. Those 10 days in ICU cost more than it took her a decade to save from her part-time job. My brother was concerned we might lose our family farm trying to pay her medical bills, and this was all for a sudden crisis. I cannot even imagine what chronically ill people suffer, financially.

我母親因細(xì)菌性腦膜炎引發(fā)的感染性休克在ICU去世。她僅病床的費(fèi)用就高達(dá)每晚7000美元，這還不包括任何藥物、特殊治療、食物或設(shè)備。她微薄的政府提供的保險(xiǎn)甚至沒(méi)有覆蓋救護(hù)車(chē)費(fèi)用（4000美元），對(duì)最終賬單幾乎沒(méi)有任何幫助。她在沒(méi)有醒來(lái)的情況下活了10天。在ICU的這10天花費(fèi)超過(guò)了她兼職工作十年所存的錢(qián)。我哥哥擔(dān)心我們可能會(huì)因?yàn)橹Ц端尼t(yī)療費(fèi)用而失去我們的家庭農(nóng)場(chǎng)，而這一切都是因?yàn)橐粓?chǎng)突發(fā)的危機(jī)。我甚至無(wú)法想象慢性病患者在經(jīng)濟(jì)上所遭受的痛苦。

Edit: I cannot believe I'm adding an edit after posting this less than 24 hours ago, but here we are. Anyone accusing me of lying about this experience in any way will be automatically blocked, muted, reported, and their comments dexed. Being accused of lying about the single most painful experience of my life (I held my mom's hand as she passed after life support was removed) wlll not be tolerated.

編輯：我簡(jiǎn)直不敢相信，在發(fā)布這條消息不到24小時(shí)后，我竟然要添加編輯內(nèi)容，但事實(shí)就是如此。任何人如果以任何方式指責(zé)我在這段經(jīng)歷上撒謊，將自動(dòng)被屏蔽、靜音、舉報(bào)，并且他們的評(píng)論將被刪除。被指責(zé)在人生中最痛苦的經(jīng)歷上撒謊（我在移除生命支持后握著媽媽的手直到她去世）是絕對(duì)不能被容忍的。

Edit number two: okay, sorry. I'm disabling comments, something I almost never do. This answer wasn't meant to insult anyone, simply to illustrate how much it costs to die in this country. This is the experience of one family. I am well aware that there are people out there who actually benefit from the current shitty system, and so trolling, contradicting, and casting doubt and incredulity is an incentive to them.

編輯第二條：好的，抱歉。我將關(guān)閉評(píng)論，這是我?guī)缀鯊奈醋鲞^(guò)的事情。這個(gè)回答并不是為了侮辱任何人，只是為了說(shuō)明在這個(gè)國(guó)家死亡的代價(jià)有多大。這是一個(gè)家庭的經(jīng)歷。我非常清楚，有些人實(shí)際上從當(dāng)前糟糕的系統(tǒng)中受益，因此，挑釁、反駁和質(zhì)疑對(duì)他們來(lái)說(shuō)是一種激勵(lì)。
原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://mintwatchbillionaireclub.com 轉(zhuǎn)載請(qǐng)注明出處

Natalie Hunt
So now I can join this circus too. Growing up in Canada I never had to think about medical bills or even knew what they were (aside from dentistry).

所以現(xiàn)在我也能加入這個(gè)馬戲團(tuán)了。在加拿大長(zhǎng)大的我從來(lái)不用考慮醫(yī)療賬單，甚至都不知道它們是什么（除了牙科）。

But here I am living in Boston with excellent private health insurance and aside from moral qualms about private healthcare no real complaints about what I get in terms of medical care.

但在這里，我住在波士頓，擁有出色的私人醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)，除了對(duì)私人醫(yī)療保健的道德疑慮外，對(duì)于我所獲得的醫(yī)療服務(wù)并沒(méi)有真正的抱怨。

Well in September I was in a car accident. The car flipped over, I found myself strapped upside down in a car crowded with air bags. I was fine, the car wasn’t. Once me and my friend managed to extricate ourselves from the car we had minor scratches but that was about it.

九月份的時(shí)候，我遇到了一場(chǎng)車(chē)禍。車(chē)子翻了，我發(fā)現(xiàn)自己被安全帶倒掛在車(chē)?yán)?，周?chē)前踩珰饽摇Ｎ覜](méi)事，但車(chē)子報(bào)廢了。我和朋友設(shè)法從車(chē)?yán)锩撋砗螅挥幸恍┹p微的擦傷，僅此而已。

Well the emts arrived, so did everyone else (cops, neighbors, etc.…..). I told the medical people that I was fine and didn’t need to go to a hospital. They insisted, saying that I might have internal injuries. After a certain amount of back and forth I finally agreed to be taken to a hospital. Then the farce began. I had to be strapped into a gurney and a neck brace was attached - I WAS FINE, but this was standard procedure that couldn’t be deviated from. Then they drove us to MASS General, which is nowhere near where the accident happened. There was an emergency room about 3 blocks away from the accident, but the private ambulance could only take me to an approved in network hospital - which meant that the nearest hospital was off limits (imagine if this was an actual emergency wasting that much time getting someone to MASS general instead of going to the nearest emergency room).

好吧，急救人員到了，其他人也到了（警察、鄰居等等……）。我告訴醫(yī)護(hù)人員我沒(méi)事，不需要去醫(yī)院。他們堅(jiān)持說(shuō)，我可能有內(nèi)傷。經(jīng)過(guò)一番爭(zhēng)論后，我終于同意被送往醫(yī)院。然后鬧劇開(kāi)始了。我必須被綁在擔(dān)架上，并戴上頸托——我明明沒(méi)事，但這是標(biāo)準(zhǔn)程序，不能偏離。然后他們把我們送到了麻省總醫(yī)院，那里離事故發(fā)生地很遠(yuǎn)。事故現(xiàn)場(chǎng)附近大約三個(gè)街區(qū)就有一個(gè)急診室，但私人救護(hù)車(chē)只能把我送到網(wǎng)絡(luò)內(nèi)的醫(yī)院——這意味著最近的醫(yī)院被排除在外（想象一下，如果這是一個(gè)真正的緊急情況，浪費(fèi)那么多時(shí)間把某人送到麻省總醫(yī)院，而不是去最近的急診室）。

Once at the hospital I was not allowed to walk in, I had to be wheeled in strapped to a gurney (the absurdity of this was not lost on any of the staff). I was rolling my eyes the entire time. At some point they finally allowed to me to get up and walk around. After sitting in a room for a while, a doctor came in did some very minor poking and prodding, gave me an ibuprofen tablet and told me I could go home.

一到醫(yī)院，我就被告知不能自己走進(jìn)去，必須被綁在輪床上推進(jìn)去（這種荒謬的做法所有工作人員都心知肚明）。整個(gè)過(guò)程我都在翻白眼。后來(lái)他們終于允許我站起來(lái)走動(dòng)。在房間里坐了一會(huì)兒后，醫(yī)生進(jìn)來(lái)做了些非常輕微的檢查和戳弄，給了我一片布洛芬藥片，然后告訴我可以回家了。

As I had said the entire time, I was FINE.

正如我一直說(shuō)的那樣，我很好。

Well about a month later I got a bill. $1000 and change for the whole experience, and this was after my insurance company covered 75% of the cost. I remember looking at the bill in bewilderment, thinking how unnecessary the whole thing was. It felt like a racket, I was persuaded against my better judgement to go to a hospital where I received almost no care for injuries that didn’t exist all so that the ambulance company could make some money.

大約一個(gè)月后，我收到了一張賬單。整個(gè)經(jīng)歷花費(fèi)了1000多美元，這還是在我的保險(xiǎn)公司支付了75%的費(fèi)用之后。我記得我困惑地看著賬單，想著這一切是多么不必要。這感覺(jué)像是一個(gè)騙局，我違背了更好的判斷被說(shuō)服去了醫(yī)院，在那里我?guī)缀鯖](méi)有得到任何治療，因?yàn)閭Ω静淮嬖?，這一切只是為了讓救護(hù)車(chē)公司賺點(diǎn)錢(qián)。

The issue for me is not the cost, I can afford to pay this, but the absurdity of it, the blatant price gouging and the fact that none of it was necessary really angers me.

對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)，問(wèn)題不在于成本，我付得起這個(gè)錢(qián)，但荒謬的是，明目張膽的價(jià)格欺詐以及這一切本不必要的事實(shí)讓我非常憤怒。

It’s experiences like this that make me even more determined to move back to Canada. In light of the recent election, that desire is now almost an obsession. I’m going home, might take a year to fully organize everything, but I’m going.

正是這樣的經(jīng)歷讓我更加堅(jiān)定了搬回加拿大的決心。鑒于最近的選舉，這種渴望現(xiàn)在幾乎成了一種執(zhí)念。我要回家了，可能需要一年時(shí)間來(lái)完全安排好一切，但我會(huì)回去的。

Steve Aspesi
in 2010, my 12 year old threatened suicide while in a session with his therapist. He was defiant and refused to take it back. The doctor told us his hands were tied and we were to admit him to a lock down facility for adolescents.

2010年，我12歲的孩子在與治療師的一次會(huì)談中威脅要自殺。他表現(xiàn)得很叛逆，拒絕收回這句話。醫(yī)生告訴我們他無(wú)能為力，我們必須將他送進(jìn)一個(gè)青少年封閉式治療機(jī)構(gòu)。

On the way to the hospital, I kept thinking he would snap out of it and recant what he said, but he did not.

在去醫(yī)院的路上，我一直在想他會(huì)突然清醒過(guò)來(lái)并收回他說(shuō)的話，但他沒(méi)有。

We signed some papers and left our 12 year old son there - and left crying.

我們簽署了一些文件，把12歲的兒子留在那里，然后哭著離開(kāi)了。

The next day I went to visit and while I was sitting with my son, a man dressed in white asks me to sign all kinds of forms that basically say “You hereby agree to accept responsibility for all the costs and fees……”. I politely asked, “What are the fees - what is the cost to be here each night?”. He said it was between me any my insurance provider. I pressed for a number and he said he did not know the cost. “I’m sorry, but I can’t just sign a blank check to you; I have to know what it costs - I have a 20% deductible”. Even though I knew my options were limited, I had the right to know what a hospital charged.

第二天我去探望，當(dāng)我正和兒子坐在一起時(shí)，一位穿著白衣服的男人讓我簽署各種表格，基本上是說(shuō)“您在此同意承擔(dān)所有費(fèi)用和收費(fèi)的責(zé)任……”。我禮貌地問(wèn)道：“費(fèi)用是多少——每晚在這里的費(fèi)用是多少？”他說(shuō)這取決于我和我的保險(xiǎn)公司。我堅(jiān)持要一個(gè)具體的數(shù)字，但他說(shuō)他不知道費(fèi)用。“很抱歉，我不能就這樣給你簽一張空白支票；我必須知道費(fèi)用是多少——我有20%的自付額?！北M管我知道我的選擇有限，但我有權(quán)知道醫(yī)院的收費(fèi)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。

The next day someone called and revealed the cost per day was $5,000 - just room and board. Doctor time and medication is extra. My out of pocket would be $1,000 per day, not including doctor time.

第二天有人打電話來(lái)，透露每天的費(fèi)用是5000美元——僅包括食宿。醫(yī)生的時(shí)間和藥物費(fèi)用另計(jì)。我每天自付的費(fèi)用是1000美元，不包括醫(yī)生的時(shí)間。

I told the woman over the phone that either my son comes home, or I refuse to pay the bill for one more day. Keep in mind, this was 14 years ago - I wouldn’t be surprised if the cost has doubled since then. When he was released he was put on some medication that was so over-prescribed, it almost killed him.

我在電話里對(duì)那個(gè)女人說(shuō)，要么我兒子回家，要么我拒絕再支付賬單一天。請(qǐng)記住，這是14年前的事——如果費(fèi)用從那時(shí)起翻倍，我也不會(huì)感到驚訝。當(dāng)他被釋放時(shí)，他被開(kāi)了一些過(guò)量處方的藥物，這幾乎要了他的命。

Fast forward to now, my son is a Paramedic who often deals with mental health crisis - he’s a wonderful caring person who works with a terribly unfair healthcare system.

快進(jìn)到現(xiàn)在，我的兒子是一名急救員，經(jīng)常處理心理健康危機(jī)——他是一個(gè)非常關(guān)心他人的人，卻在一個(gè)極其不公平的醫(yī)療系統(tǒng)中工作。

Ruth Rann
It depends on how you define “outrageous”. For whatever reason and I don’t understand all of it, but it includes laws and psychology, medical providers have found it advantageous to bill far more than what they expect to be paid. Then one of these things happens to the bill:

這取決于你如何定義“離譜”。出于某些原因，我無(wú)法完全理解，但這些原因包括法律和心理學(xué)，醫(yī)療服務(wù)提供者發(fā)現(xiàn)開(kāi)出遠(yuǎn)高于他們預(yù)期支付的賬單是有利的。然后，賬單上會(huì)發(fā)生以下情況之一：

It goes to someone with no insurance and little to no money. For hospitals, these are generally ER bills or bills to treat people who came in through the ER and needed more treatment to be stable. Generally these end up written off as bad debt. You can’t get money that people don’t have.

這些費(fèi)用通常由沒(méi)有保險(xiǎn)且?guī)缀鯖](méi)有錢(qián)的人承擔(dān)。對(duì)于醫(yī)院來(lái)說(shuō)，這些通常是急診室的賬單或治療通過(guò)急診室進(jìn)入并需要更多治療以穩(wěn)定病情的患者的賬單。通常這些最終會(huì)被作為壞賬核銷(xiāo)。你無(wú)法從沒(méi)有錢(qián)的人那里得到錢(qián)。

It goes to someone with no insurance and some money. Hospitals generally negotiate a substantial discount as long as you pay regularly.

它適用于沒(méi)有保險(xiǎn)但有一些錢(qián)的人。只要你定期付款，醫(yī)院通常會(huì)協(xié)商一個(gè)大幅度的折扣。

It goes to someone with insurance. The insurance company has already negotiated a substantial discount off the rack rate. How much you have to pay at that point depends on your policy. Sometimes the hospitals will negotiate a discount on your portion if you pay immediately.

它適用于有保險(xiǎn)的人。保險(xiǎn)公司已經(jīng)協(xié)商了一個(gè)大幅度的折扣，比掛牌價(jià)低很多。你最終需要支付多少取決于你的保單。有時(shí)，如果你立即支付，醫(yī)院也會(huì)為你應(yīng)支付的部分協(xié)商折扣。

It goes to someone who chose to use an out-of-network provider, or who chose to get care despite it not being covered by their insurance policy (like a face lift). Usually the cost for this was pre-negotiated and pre-paid.

這適用于那些選擇使用非網(wǎng)絡(luò)內(nèi)提供者的人，或者選擇接受保險(xiǎn)政策不涵蓋的護(hù)理（如面部拉皮手術(shù)）的人。通常，這種費(fèi)用是預(yù)先協(xié)商和預(yù)付的。

Gina McFarlane
Yes. When my twin daughters were born, the health insurance provided by my employer had a $10,000. deductible. My twins arrived premature and spent weeks in the neonatal ICU. i paid $20,000. in 2006. And I was informed by the insurance company that my daughters and I were uninsurable due to preexisting conditions upon their discharge. My daughters had no health issues at all after their discharge, they fortunately just needed fed to grow during their hospitalization. The twins were declared uninsurable due to being born at 35 weeks. They claimed I was uninsurable due to infertility, despite having no desire to have more children at age 38 and having received no fertility treatments covered by insurance.

是的。當(dāng)我的雙胞胎女兒出生時(shí)，我雇主提供的健康保險(xiǎn)有一萬(wàn)美元的免賠額。我的雙胞胎早產(chǎn)，并在新生兒重癥監(jiān)護(hù)室度過(guò)了幾周。我在2006年支付了兩萬(wàn)美元。保險(xiǎn)公司通知我，由于預(yù)先存在的條件，我的女兒和我在她們出院后無(wú)法獲得保險(xiǎn)。我的女兒們?cè)诔鲈汉鬀](méi)有任何健康問(wèn)題，幸運(yùn)的是，她們?cè)谧≡浩陂g只需要喂養(yǎng)以促進(jìn)生長(zhǎng)。雙胞胎因?yàn)?5周出生而被宣布無(wú)法獲得保險(xiǎn)。他們聲稱(chēng)我無(wú)法獲得保險(xiǎn)是因?yàn)椴辉?，盡管我在38歲時(shí)沒(méi)有生育更多孩子的愿望，也沒(méi)有接受過(guò)保險(xiǎn)覆蓋的生育治療。

Glenn Paul Gosbee
I got bit once, about 10 years ago, breaking up my dog and another dog at the dog park. It wasn't a bad bite, my dog had accidentally got me while I was trying to grab the other dogs collar. It was a single puncture from one of her teeth, honestly not worth getting excited over, but I figured it was a good idea to go to the ER and make sure it didn't need stitches or anything. I spent 4 hours waiting for someone to come clean it with saline, then put some steri-strips on it, that's all they did.

大約10年前，我在狗公園里試圖分開(kāi)我的狗和另一只狗時(shí)被咬了一次。咬得并不嚴(yán)重，我的狗在我試圖抓住另一只狗的項(xiàng)圈時(shí)不小心咬到了我。她的牙齒留下了一個(gè)小洞，老實(shí)說(shuō)并不值得大驚小怪，但我覺(jué)得去急診室確保不需要縫合或其他處理是個(gè)好主意。我花了4個(gè)小時(shí)等待有人來(lái)用生理鹽水清理傷口，然后貼了一些無(wú)菌膠帶，這就是他們所做的全部。

For that visit, and the very minimal contact or actual work done, the hospital charged me $600 and then I got another bill a month later from the physician contracting firm the hospital uses for another $1000 dollars. This is not an exaggeration, I still have the bills because they were that ridiculous.

那次就診，以及非常少的接觸或?qū)嶋H完成的工作，醫(yī)院向我收取了600美元，然后一個(gè)月后，我又收到了醫(yī)院使用的醫(yī)生承包公司的另一張1000美元的賬單。這不是夸張，我仍然保留著這些賬單，因?yàn)樗鼈兲闹嚵恕?/b>

So total bill for a minor puncture wound that was treated with a saline rinse and some breathable sterile tape, was $1600. I'll let you decide if that seems like an outrageous bill or not.

所以，對(duì)于一個(gè)用生理鹽水沖洗和一些透氣無(wú)菌膠帶處理的小穿刺傷，總費(fèi)用是1600美元。我讓你來(lái)決定這是否是一個(gè)離譜的賬單。

Guess how much my appendectomy cost?

猜猜我的闌尾切除術(shù)花了多少錢(qián)？

20,000 USD

20,000美元

I was uninsured at the time. I was a university student from a poor family, trying to do something no one in my family had ever done before. The worst part of the whole experience wasn’t the amazing university doctor who really listened to me and didn’t write off my symptoms as period pain, or the hilarious doctor at the hospital that did my ultrasound and gave me a tour of my organs, or the poor nurse I yelled at after the surgery when she woke me up for the 4th time in the night. It wasn’t even the surgery scars, being poked 11 times before finding a good vein, or projectile vomiting because I don’t do well with morphine. The worst part, was that I thought my education would be over. I thought I’d have to drop out to try to pay the bill. Fortunately, that never happened, but it was a very real possibility. I knew others who had needed to drop out due to medical bills.

我當(dāng)時(shí)沒(méi)有保險(xiǎn)。我是一名來(lái)自貧困家庭的大學(xué)生，試圖做一些我家人從未做過(guò)的事情。整個(gè)經(jīng)歷中最糟糕的部分不是那位非常認(rèn)真傾聽(tīng)我、沒(méi)有把我的癥狀當(dāng)作經(jīng)痛而忽視的出色的大學(xué)醫(yī)生，也不是在醫(yī)院給我做超聲波檢查并帶我參觀我的器官的搞笑醫(yī)生，甚至不是手術(shù)后我因?yàn)樗谕砩系谒拇谓行盐叶鴮?duì)她大喊大叫的可憐護(hù)士。也不是手術(shù)疤痕，被戳了11次才找到好靜脈，或者因?yàn)槲覍?duì)嗎啡反應(yīng)不好而噴射性嘔吐。最糟糕的部分是，我以為我的教育會(huì)結(jié)束。我以為我不得不輟學(xué)來(lái)支付賬單。幸運(yùn)的是，這從未發(fā)生，但這確實(shí)是一個(gè)真實(shí)的可能性。我知道其他人因?yàn)獒t(yī)療賬單而不得不輟學(xué)。

My favorite part of the multiple bills that rolled in afterward was a line item entitled “no cost medicine” which was listed as 150 USD.

在隨后收到的多張賬單中，我最喜歡的部分是一個(gè)名為“無(wú)費(fèi)用藥物”的項(xiàng)目，標(biāo)價(jià)為150美元。

It’s stupid. Criminally stupid, what Americans have to put up with from the health care system.

這是愚蠢的。美國(guó)人不得不忍受醫(yī)療系統(tǒng)的做法，簡(jiǎn)直是犯罪性的愚蠢。

Ali Ziegler
My kid brother sliced his middle finger down to the bone back in 1975. The cost to take him to the emergency room and get his finger stitched up was a hundred bucks. I only knew this because my dad was livid over this unecessary cost and brought it up every chance he got (‘’I know you need new shoes but your brother just blew a hundred bucks on stupidity”) Dad would not beleive the state of medical care now.

1975年，我的小弟弟把中指切到了骨頭。帶他去急診室并縫合手指的費(fèi)用是一百美元。我只知道這一點(diǎn)，因?yàn)槲腋赣H對(duì)這種不必要的費(fèi)用非常憤怒，并且每次有機(jī)會(huì)都會(huì)提起這件事（“我知道你需要新鞋，但你弟弟剛剛因?yàn)橛薮阑艘话倜涝保?。父親現(xiàn)在不會(huì)相信醫(yī)療保健的現(xiàn)狀。
原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://mintwatchbillionaireclub.com 轉(zhuǎn)載請(qǐng)注明出處

Two years ago, a friend’s son cut his finger in exactly the same way (whittling) and the same place (middle finger above the knuckle.) It cost a little over three thousand dollars, all told. WHAT has happened to the state of medicine that in less than fifty years, the cost has gone up thirty times? Not thirty percent, THIRTY TIMES. If gas had increased that much in the same period, we’d now be paying $100 a gallon. If the average home went up 30 times from what it was back then, it would now cost over a mllion dollars just to get a starter/fixer upper.

兩年前，我朋友的兒子以完全相同的方式（削木頭）和相同的位置（中指指節(jié)上方）割傷了手指。總共花費(fèi)了三千多美元。醫(yī)學(xué)界到底發(fā)生了什么，在不到五十年的時(shí)間里，費(fèi)用上漲了三十倍？不是百分之三十，而是三十倍。如果汽油在同一時(shí)期上漲了那么多，我們現(xiàn)在每加侖要支付100美元。如果普通住宅的價(jià)格從那時(shí)起上漲了三十倍，那么現(xiàn)在僅僅購(gòu)買(mǎi)一個(gè)起步房/待修房就要花費(fèi)超過(guò)一百萬(wàn)美元。

Here’s an honest firsthand account of what medicine is like in the good old US of A: I went in for what was supposed to be a routine hysterectomy in 2007. Had what I thought was good insurance. Skipping all the gory details, my intestines were damaged during the surgery, resulting in a second surgery just 27 days later. This led to more damage, for which I was hospitalized another 30 days waiting for my body to heal itself or have a third surgery. Was finally sent home for what I thought was for good. Within four days I almost had a heart attack and was back in the hospital for observation for yet another week.

這是關(guān)于美國(guó)醫(yī)療狀況的真實(shí)第一手記錄：2007年，我去做了一次本應(yīng)是常規(guī)的子宮切除術(shù)。我以為自己有很好的保險(xiǎn)。跳過(guò)所有血腥的細(xì)節(jié)，手術(shù)中我的腸道受損，導(dǎo)致僅僅27天后又進(jìn)行了第二次手術(shù)。這導(dǎo)致了更多的損傷，為此我又住院了30天，等待我的身體自愈或進(jìn)行第三次手術(shù)。終于，我以為可以永遠(yuǎn)回家了。然而，四天內(nèi)我?guī)缀跣呐K病發(fā)作，又回到醫(yī)院觀察了一周。
原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://mintwatchbillionaireclub.com 轉(zhuǎn)載請(qǐng)注明出處

We recieved bills almost daily for this medical debacle for over a year. Some bills from doctors I’d never heard of before. The hospital never truly gave a complete itemized bill, but I did see one where I was charged fifty bucks for a ‘patient care kit” which was a toothbush, a tiny tube of toothpaste, a comb and a thin pair of socks. Is it any wonder that when the dust cleared, my overall total was about a THIRD OF A MILLION dollars. At least, that’s what it woulld have been if we did not have “good insurance”. When the insurance company, hospital, doctors, labs, myriad tests and all and sundry were said and done, we still owed over $30,000.

我們幾乎每天都收到這場(chǎng)醫(yī)療災(zāi)難的賬單，持續(xù)了一年多。有些賬單來(lái)自我從未聽(tīng)說(shuō)過(guò)的醫(yī)生。醫(yī)院從未真正提供過(guò)完整的詳細(xì)賬單，但我確實(shí)看到過(guò)一張賬單，上面寫(xiě)著“病人護(hù)理包”收費(fèi)50美元，里面包括一把牙刷、一小管牙膏、一把梳子和一雙薄襪子。難怪當(dāng)塵埃落定時(shí)，我的總費(fèi)用大約是30萬(wàn)美元。至少，如果我們沒(méi)有“好的保險(xiǎn)”，那將是這個(gè)數(shù)字。當(dāng)保險(xiǎn)公司、醫(yī)院、醫(yī)生、實(shí)驗(yàn)室、無(wú)數(shù)測(cè)試等等都結(jié)算完畢后，我們?nèi)匀磺妨顺^(guò)3萬(wàn)美元。

We eventually ended up having to file for bankruptcy, and by the time the entire mess was resolved, I was permanently on four different meds, unable to work my old job, my husband couldn’t deal so he abandoned me and our son. The life I had was DESTROYED.

我們最終不得不申請(qǐng)破產(chǎn)，等到整個(gè)爛攤子解決時(shí)，我永久性地依賴(lài)四種不同的藥物，無(wú)法從事以前的工作，我丈夫無(wú)法承受這一切，于是他拋棄了我和我們的兒子。我曾經(jīng)的生活被徹底摧毀了。

It has made me intensly fearful of all things medical. Oh, not for the pain and intrusion. For the “what in the hell is this going to cost me?” Two years ago I brushed off the worst headache I’ve ever had. Thought it would go away. It didn’t. I was certain this would lead to yet another bankruptcy or me losing my house, but my daughter ignored me and dragged in to the doctor. Good thing she did—turns out I’d suffered a Transient Ischemic Stroke. The state of medicine in the US almost killed me, had I waited any longer.

這讓我對(duì)所有醫(yī)療相關(guān)的事情感到極度恐懼。哦，不是因?yàn)樘弁春颓秩胄?。而是因?yàn)椤斑@到底會(huì)花我多少錢(qián)？”兩年前，我忽視了我有史以來(lái)最嚴(yán)重的頭痛。以為它會(huì)自己消失。但它沒(méi)有。我確信這會(huì)導(dǎo)致又一次破產(chǎn)或失去我的房子，但我女兒沒(méi)理會(huì)我，硬是把我拖去看醫(yī)生。幸好她這么做了——結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn)我遭受了一次短暫性腦缺血發(fā)作。如果我等得更久，美國(guó)的醫(yī)療狀況幾乎要了我的命。

Until our government does something about the filthy, disgusting incestuous relationships between the insurance companies, big pharma, hospitals and sundry, how many people will die because they were too afraid to go to the hospital because of the beyond exorbitant fees?

在我們的ZF采取措施解決保險(xiǎn)公司、大型制藥公司、醫(yī)院和其他機(jī)構(gòu)之間骯臟、令人作嘔的勾結(jié)關(guān)系之前，有多少人會(huì)因?yàn)楹ε箩t(yī)院的高昂費(fèi)用而不敢去醫(yī)院，最終導(dǎo)致死亡？
原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://mintwatchbillionaireclub.com 轉(zhuǎn)載請(qǐng)注明出處

Could you imagine someone with cancer dealing with this nightmare? Or a family with a severely disabled child? Or virtually any of the bad things that happen to good people? The thought makes me sick to my stomach, how much money is made off the pain and suffering of others.

你能想象一個(gè)患有癌癥的人如何應(yīng)對(duì)這場(chǎng)噩夢(mèng)嗎？或者一個(gè)有嚴(yán)重殘疾孩子的家庭？或者任何發(fā)生在好人身上的壞事？想到這些，我就感到惡心，竟然有如此多的錢(qián)是從他人的痛苦和苦難中賺取的。

So everything you’ve heard about the cost of medicine here is likely true, and probably much worse.

所以，你在這里聽(tīng)到的關(guān)于藥品成本的一切很可能都是真的，而且可能更糟。

Julia Rieke
This maybe isn’t outrageous, but it is to me.

這也許并不算離譜，但對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)是的。

I had a small surgery to remove a tumor from my pinkie finger. It was rather large (probably the size of an acorn). I paid my deductible (which was $1500.) I also paid an additional $250 to the doctor’s office. Then, after the surgery, I received a bill because “they used a compression device during the surgery that was not pre-approved by your insurance.” $1500. I also received another $1200 bill because “they sent the tumor to be tested at an out of network lab.” I also received a $22 bill for something else (not sure what).

我做了一個(gè)小手術(shù)，從我的小指上切除了一個(gè)腫瘤。它相當(dāng)大（大概有橡子那么大）。我支付了我的免賠額（1500美元）。我還向醫(yī)生的辦公室額外支付了250美元。然后，手術(shù)后，我收到了一張賬單，因?yàn)椤八麄冊(cè)谑中g(shù)中使用了一個(gè)未經(jīng)你保險(xiǎn)公司預(yù)先批準(zhǔn)的壓縮設(shè)備”，費(fèi)用是1500美元。我還收到了另一張1200美元的賬單，因?yàn)椤八麄儗⒛[瘤送到了網(wǎng)絡(luò)外的實(shí)驗(yàn)室進(jìn)行檢測(cè)”。我還收到了一張22美元的賬單，不清楚是什么費(fèi)用。

This is WITH insurance. I pay $400/month to cover my daughter and me. My job also pays part of the insurance premium so it’s actually over $400/month. I’m not sure how much they pay. So around $4500 was my out of pocket cost for a very simple surgery that probably took the doctor 10 minutes to complete.

這是包含保險(xiǎn)的情況。我每月支付400美元來(lái)覆蓋我和我女兒的保險(xiǎn)。我的工作也支付部分保險(xiǎn)費(fèi)，所以實(shí)際上每月超過(guò)400美元。我不確定他們支付了多少。所以，一次非常簡(jiǎn)單的、可能只花了醫(yī)生10分鐘完成的手術(shù)，我的自付費(fèi)用大約是4500美元。

In my opinion, it’s not my fault they sent the tumor to an out of network place to be tested, and it’s certainly not my fault that they used a compression device that was not pre-approved (while I was under sedation).

在我看來(lái)，他們把腫瘤送到網(wǎng)絡(luò)外的地方進(jìn)行檢測(cè)不是我的錯(cuò)，而且他們?cè)谖姨幱阪?zhèn)靜狀態(tài)時(shí)使用了未經(jīng)預(yù)先批準(zhǔn)的壓縮設(shè)備也絕對(duì)不是我的錯(cuò)。

Crazy!

瘋狂！

Caroline Zelonka
It’s a bit complicated. Most, if not all, hospitals are required by law to provide emergency care to anyone without payment up front. So if you have a heart attack, break a bone, go into labor, or even have strep throad, you can go in and be seen, though you may have to wait a really long time. (I’ve personally waited 8 hours in a sprawling suburb, and longer waits are very common in urban environments.)

這有點(diǎn)復(fù)雜。大多數(shù)（如果不是全部）醫(yī)院都被法律要求為任何人提供緊急護(hù)理，而無(wú)需預(yù)先支付費(fèi)用。所以，如果你心臟病發(fā)作、骨折、分娩，甚至患有鏈球菌性喉炎，你都可以去醫(yī)院就診，盡管你可能需要等待很長(zhǎng)時(shí)間。（我個(gè)人在郊區(qū)等待了8個(gè)小時(shí)，而在城市環(huán)境中，更長(zhǎng)的等待時(shí)間非常常見(jiàn)。）

However, unless you are literally dying, passed out, or in extreme distress, they’ll make you fill out a bunch of forms, and get your ID, social security number, and insurance card on file. (Again, I’d gone in once with a severe corneal infection in both eyes — barely able to see and in tons of pain — and I still had to go through that rigamarole.)

然而，除非你真的快要死了、昏迷了或處于極度痛苦中，否則他們會(huì)讓你填寫(xiě)一大堆表格，并記錄你的身份證、社保號(hào)碼和保險(xiǎn)卡。（再說(shuō)一次，我曾經(jīng)因?yàn)殡p眼嚴(yán)重的角膜感染去看病——幾乎看不見(jiàn)，疼痛難忍——但我仍然不得不經(jīng)歷那些繁瑣的手續(xù)。）
原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://mintwatchbillionaireclub.com 轉(zhuǎn)載請(qǐng)注明出處

If you are or remain indigent, you could theoretically get away with not paying, but everyone else will incur medical debt. And even a simple ER visit can cost at least $1200.

如果你一直或仍然貧困，理論上你可以不支付醫(yī)療費(fèi)用，但其他人將承擔(dān)醫(yī)療債務(wù)。即使是簡(jiǎn)單的急診室訪問(wèn)，費(fèi)用也可能至少為1200美元。

Now if your condition isn’t too bad — strep throat, say — you can choose to visit a private urgent care center. Which are usually very reasonable. Many groceries and big box stores with pharmacies have in-store urgent care clinics which specialize in minor injuries, infections, and common ailments. The last time I went I paid $200 for the visit, about $100 for an x-ray, and whatever the medication cost.

如果你的病情不太嚴(yán)重——比如鏈球菌性喉炎——你可以選擇去一家私人的緊急護(hù)理中心。這些中心通常收費(fèi)合理。許多有藥房的雜貨店和大賣(mài)場(chǎng)都設(shè)有店內(nèi)緊急護(hù)理診所，專(zhuān)門(mén)處理輕微損傷、感染和常見(jiàn)疾病。上次我去的時(shí)候，看診費(fèi)用是200美元，X光檢查大約100美元，還有藥物的費(fèi)用。

However, these clinics do not receive public funding and are not required to treat patients who cannot pay up front. This is part of the reason emergency room waits are so long, because many broke Americans are forced to use them for everything. This includes labor and delivery.

然而，這些診所沒(méi)有獲得公共資金，也不被要求治療那些無(wú)法預(yù)先支付費(fèi)用的患者。這是急診室等待時(shí)間如此之長(zhǎng)的部分原因，因?yàn)樵S多身無(wú)分文的美國(guó)人被迫將急診室用于所有情況，包括分娩。

But back to the hospital bill. They have your info and will send you a bill, and if you can’t pay it, it will go into collections just like a delinquent credit card bill.

但回到醫(yī)院賬單的問(wèn)題。他們有你的信息，會(huì)給你寄賬單，如果你無(wú)法支付，它就會(huì)像拖欠的信用卡賬單一樣進(jìn)入催收程序。

Consider yourself lucky if all you owe is $2000 or so. If they admit you to hospital, you’re looking at $10,000 per night at the very least. Surgery? Tack on another few thou. God forbid you have something complex, like cancer, because your debt could easily skyrocket into the millions.

如果你只欠2000美元左右，那就算你幸運(yùn)了。如果他們讓你住院，你每晚至少要花費(fèi)1萬(wàn)美元。手術(shù)？再增加幾千美元。天啊，如果你得了復(fù)雜的病，比如癌癥，因?yàn)槟愕膫鶆?wù)很容易飆升到數(shù)百萬(wàn)美元。
原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://mintwatchbillionaireclub.com 轉(zhuǎn)載請(qǐng)注明出處

Of course, some hospitals have funds — supported by charitable donations — to ease the burden on needy patients. Many pharma companies have programs that offer free medication to those under a certain income level. And on the state level, poorer folks can go on public health plans like Washington’s Apple Health, but there’s a waiting list so if you’re pregnant you better apply sooner rather than later.

當(dāng)然，一些醫(yī)院有資金——由慈善捐款支持——來(lái)減輕貧困患者的負(fù)擔(dān)。許多制藥公司都有計(jì)劃，為收入低于一定水平的人提供免費(fèi)藥物。在州一級(jí)，較貧困的人可以加入像華盛頓州的Apple Health這樣的公共健康計(jì)劃，但有一個(gè)等待名單，所以如果你懷孕了，最好盡早申請(qǐng)。

After age 65, there is Medicare, of course. Now not all doctors or clinics take Medicare patients but hospitals are required to do so.

65歲之后，當(dāng)然有醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)?，F(xiàn)在并非所有醫(yī)生或診所都接受醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)患者，但醫(yī)院被要求這樣做。

Medical debt is one of the top reasons Americans file for personal bankruptcy and it’s a fucking shame.

醫(yī)療債務(wù)是美國(guó)人申請(qǐng)個(gè)人破產(chǎn)的主要原因之一，這真他媽的可恥。

Paul Johnson
Some of them, yes.

其中一些，是的。

What’s absolutely outrageous about the American system is that you can buy insurance, so effectively play by the rules as created, and still end up absolutely screwed.

美國(guó)制度中絕對(duì)令人憤慨的是，你可以購(gòu)買(mǎi)保險(xiǎn)，從而有效地按照既定規(guī)則行事，卻仍然可能陷入絕境。

There’s a couple of areas that cause severe hardship, even if you are insured.

有幾個(gè)領(lǐng)域即使你投保了，也會(huì)造成嚴(yán)重的困難。

Copays & annual “out of pocket” maximums can be huge.

共付額和年度“自付”上限可能非常高。

In Network and Out Of Network healthcare providers.

網(wǎng)絡(luò)內(nèi)和網(wǎng)絡(luò)外的醫(yī)療保健提供者。

The first one is fairly easy to understand. Most insurance, whether it’s for a house, car, or healthcare, has the notion of a co-pay, where the insured pays the first portion of a cost, then the insurance pays the rest. This is a fairly good way of preventing frivolous claims, but they have also become a way to lower monthly premiums for insurance.

第一個(gè)相對(duì)容易理解。大多數(shù)保險(xiǎn)，無(wú)論是房屋、汽車(chē)還是醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)，都有共同支付的概念，即被保險(xiǎn)人支付費(fèi)用的第一部分，然后保險(xiǎn)公司支付剩余部分。這是防止輕率索賠的一種相當(dāng)好的方式，但它們也已成為降低保險(xiǎn)月費(fèi)的一種方式。

The problem is, the copays can be huge. If you have a copay of, for example, 10%, then you get cancer and the entire treatment can easily be north of $250,000, then you suddenly have a bill for $25,000 (the 10% copay).

問(wèn)題是，自付額可能非常巨大。例如，如果你的自付比例是10%，然后你得了癌癥，整個(gè)治療費(fèi)用很容易超過(guò)25萬(wàn)美元，那么你突然會(huì)有一張2.5萬(wàn)美元的賬單（即10%的自付額）。

Now, you can get policies with small copays, but the premiums for them are more expensive. My company plan had a standard copay of $20 for whatever the treatment was. So when my wife got cancer, we paid $20 and the insurance picked up the rest. But my policy cost $27,000 a year for a family of four, so you can start to understand why people elect to have higher copays, because they need to get the cost of the insurance policy to something they can actually afford to pay each month.

現(xiàn)在，你可以選擇小額自付額的保險(xiǎn)計(jì)劃，但保費(fèi)更貴。我公司的計(jì)劃對(duì)任何治療都有20美元的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)自付額。所以當(dāng)我妻子得了癌癥時(shí)，我們支付了20美元，剩下的由保險(xiǎn)公司承擔(dān)。但我的保險(xiǎn)計(jì)劃每年要花費(fèi)27,000美元，適用于四口之家，所以你可以開(kāi)始理解為什么人們選擇更高的自付額，因?yàn)樗麄冃枰獙⒈ｋU(xiǎn)計(jì)劃的費(fèi)用降低到他們每月實(shí)際能夠支付的水平。

Then we have the problem of in-network and out of network providers. Most insurance companies have hospital “chains” that they regard as in-network. The “in-network” hospitals will have discounted rates that the insurance companies have negotiated with them, so the insurance companies want you to use in-network hospitals. And this lixs, again, to the copay system. I mentioned that I had a copay of $20, but that was for in-network treatment. Fortunately the number of “in-network” hospitals for my plan was large, so I could always choose a healthcare provider I wanted. But if I went out of network, my copay was $50.

然后我們還有網(wǎng)絡(luò)內(nèi)和網(wǎng)絡(luò)外提供者的問(wèn)題。大多數(shù)保險(xiǎn)公司都有他們認(rèn)為屬于網(wǎng)絡(luò)內(nèi)的醫(yī)院“連鎖”。這些“網(wǎng)絡(luò)內(nèi)”醫(yī)院會(huì)有保險(xiǎn)公司與它們協(xié)商的折扣率，所以保險(xiǎn)公司希望您使用網(wǎng)絡(luò)內(nèi)醫(yī)院。這又鏈接到了共付系統(tǒng)。我提到我有20美元的共付額，但那是針對(duì)網(wǎng)絡(luò)內(nèi)治療的。幸運(yùn)的是，我的計(jì)劃中“網(wǎng)絡(luò)內(nèi)”醫(yī)院的數(shù)量很多，所以我總是可以選擇我想要的醫(yī)療服務(wù)提供者。但如果我去網(wǎng)絡(luò)外的醫(yī)院，我的共付額是50美元。
原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://mintwatchbillionaireclub.com 轉(zhuǎn)載請(qǐng)注明出處

As I’ve mentioned, I had very low copays because I had such an expensive policy, some out of network copays can be absolutely astronomic.

正如我所提到的，由于我有一份非常昂貴的保單，我的自付費(fèi)用非常低，一些網(wǎng)絡(luò)外的自付費(fèi)用可能高得驚人。

And that becomes a huge problem in the case of emergency. If you’re unconscious, you want the ambulance to take you to the nearest hospital, not the nearest in-network hospital (and, of course, if you’re unconscious, you can’t exactly look up what is and is not in network).

這在緊急情況下會(huì)成為一個(gè)大問(wèn)題。如果你失去了意識(shí)，你希望救護(hù)車(chē)把你送到最近的醫(yī)院，而不是最近的網(wǎng)絡(luò)內(nèi)醫(yī)院（當(dāng)然，如果你失去了意識(shí)，你無(wú)法確切地查找哪些醫(yī)院在網(wǎng)絡(luò)內(nèi)，哪些不在）。

So then random chance kicks in. You’re unconscious because you’ve been in an accident, and you may end up with a copy that’s a couple of hundred dollars, or you might have one that’s tens of thousands.

然后隨機(jī)性就發(fā)揮作用了。你因?yàn)槭鹿识ヒ庾R(shí)，最終可能會(huì)得到一份價(jià)值幾百美元的副本，也可能會(huì)得到一份價(jià)值數(shù)萬(wàn)美元的副本。

As a result, we end up with people having to declare bankruptcy because of medical debt, even though they’ve played by the rules, purchased insurance, attempted to always use in-network providers.

結(jié)果，我們最終看到人們因?yàn)獒t(yī)療債務(wù)而不得不宣布破產(chǎn)，盡管他們遵守了規(guī)則，購(gòu)買(mǎi)了保險(xiǎn)，并試圖始終使用網(wǎng)絡(luò)內(nèi)的醫(yī)療服務(wù)提供者。

They still end up screwed by the healthcare system.

他們最終還是被醫(yī)療體系坑了。

Something has to change.

必須有所改變。

Mitchell Schoenbrun
number of years ago my brother had an accident in which he broke bones in his wrist. After the ER patched him up he saw a doctor who made an appointment to do surgery at a “surgi-center”. He made inquiry and found that his insurance would pay for all of this.

幾年前，我的兄弟在一次事故中手腕骨折。急診室為他處理后，他去看了一位醫(yī)生，醫(yī)生安排他在“手術(shù)中心”進(jìn)行手術(shù)。他詢(xún)問(wèn)后發(fā)現(xiàn)，他的保險(xiǎn)將支付所有這些費(fèi)用。

The surgery took about an hour. A few weeks later he received a bill for $25,000 for use of the facility. He was in a panic. He called to find out what happened. In the intervening month the insurance company decided to no longer pay for surgery done at this surgi-center. My brother called the surgi-center to complain, why had no one told him about this. The response was, OK forget it.

手術(shù)大約進(jìn)行了一個(gè)小時(shí)。幾周后，他收到了一張25,000美元的設(shè)施使用賬單。他感到恐慌，打電話去了解情況。在這期間的一個(gè)月里，保險(xiǎn)公司決定不再支付在這家手術(shù)中心進(jìn)行的手術(shù)費(fèi)用。我哥哥打電話給手術(shù)中心抱怨，為什么沒(méi)有人告訴他這件事。對(duì)方的回應(yīng)是，好吧，忘了它吧。

HMMm. While this sounds like a happy ending, consider what this means. The surgi-center was billing his insurance an outrageous amount, $25,000/hr for use of a facility. This did not include the doctors fee of course. But their net cost to provide this service was so small, or maybe their net profit was so high, that they could afford to just forget it. The medical industry has become a firehose pumping money from people to corporations.

嗯，雖然這聽(tīng)起來(lái)像是一個(gè)圓滿的結(jié)局，但請(qǐng)考慮一下這意味著什么。手術(shù)中心向他的保險(xiǎn)公司收取了高得離譜的費(fèi)用，每小時(shí)2.5萬(wàn)美元的設(shè)施使用費(fèi)。這還不包括醫(yī)生的費(fèi)用。但他們的凈成本如此之低，或者他們的凈利潤(rùn)如此之高，以至于他們可以輕易地忘記這筆費(fèi)用。醫(yī)療行業(yè)已經(jīng)成為一條將人們的錢(qián)輸送到企業(yè)的消防水帶。

Shawn Yasutake
Not just hospital bills. A few years ago, we had a terrible year for wildfires and the air was thick with smoke for several weeks. The irritation from the smoke caused me to have a series of serious nosebleeds over a period of couple months. A couple of them took literally 20+ minutes to resolve and required medical intervention. The first time I had a really serious nosebleed, I was attending a class in a small town in New Mexico. I had to call the local paramedic squad to help out. They were able to get the nosebleed stopped and said at that point that I didn’t have to take any further care. That resulted in an $700+ bill from the county for their medical care.

不僅僅是醫(yī)院賬單。幾年前，我們經(jīng)歷了一個(gè)嚴(yán)重的野火年，空氣中彌漫著濃煙，持續(xù)了幾周。煙霧的刺激導(dǎo)致我在幾個(gè)月內(nèi)多次出現(xiàn)嚴(yán)重的鼻出血。其中有幾次鼻血真的流了20多分鐘才止住，并且需要醫(yī)療干預(yù)。第一次出現(xiàn)非常嚴(yán)重的鼻出血時(shí)，我正在新墨西哥州一個(gè)小鎮(zhèn)上課。我不得不叫當(dāng)?shù)氐募本汝?duì)來(lái)幫忙。他們成功止住了鼻血，并說(shuō)那時(shí)我不需要進(jìn)一步的治療。結(jié)果，我收到了縣里700多美元的醫(yī)療賬單。

A couple weeks later, I had another bad bleed in my home town, this one lasting at least 30 minutes. We called the paramedics and at the insistence of my wife, who was present with me, I took an ambulance ride to the hospital to get checked out. The weird thing—and the most infuriating thing about the entire ordeal—was that the paramedics were from a private company which was contracted to provide medical services to the county. This private company, the only one in the entire county, was considered “out of network” by my insurance company. As such, the insurance didn’t cover the ambulance ride which, for a 15 minute trip, cost me about $1850. That didn’t even include the emergency room charges ($200 for the copay plus about $1400 for the care). Two nosebleeds cost me about $4000 to treat. That was for a total of about three hours of care.

幾周后，我在家鄉(xiāng)又經(jīng)歷了一次嚴(yán)重的出血，這次至少持續(xù)了30分鐘。我們叫了急救人員，在我妻子的堅(jiān)持下，她當(dāng)時(shí)和我在一起，我乘坐救護(hù)車(chē)去醫(yī)院檢查。奇怪的是——也是整個(gè)經(jīng)歷中最令人氣憤的事情——急救人員來(lái)自一家私人公司，這家公司與縣里簽訂了提供醫(yī)療服務(wù)的合同。這家私人公司是全縣唯一的一家，卻被我的保險(xiǎn)公司視為“網(wǎng)絡(luò)外”的機(jī)構(gòu)。因此，保險(xiǎn)不覆蓋這次救護(hù)車(chē)費(fèi)用，15分鐘的車(chē)程花了我大約1850美元。這還不包括急診室的費(fèi)用（200美元的共付額加上大約1400美元的護(hù)理費(fèi)用）。兩次鼻出血的治療花了我大約4000美元。總共大約三個(gè)小時(shí)的護(hù)理。

The “health insurance” system in the US is a total scam. It’s a profit maximization tool for the corporations with no regard for the health and welfare of the policy-holders.

美國(guó)的“醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)”系統(tǒng)完全是個(gè)騙局。它是企業(yè)追求利潤(rùn)最大化的工具，完全不顧及投保人的健康和福利。

Jamal
The short answer is yes we pay outrageous hospital, at least in theory and it depends on what you call outrageous.

簡(jiǎn)短的回答是，是的，我們支付高昂的醫(yī)院費(fèi)用，至少在理論上是這樣，這取決于你所說(shuō)的“高昂”是什么意思。
原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://mintwatchbillionaireclub.com 轉(zhuǎn)載請(qǐng)注明出處

Most people have insurance to cover truly outrageous hospital bills which can range from a 10’s of thousands to occasionally a several million dollars. You are legally obligated to pay the bill, but in most cases public or private insurance covers most of the cost but not all so the annual cost exposure can be significant..

大多數(shù)人都有保險(xiǎn)來(lái)支付真正高昂的醫(yī)院賬單，這些賬單可能從數(shù)萬(wàn)美元到偶爾的數(shù)百萬(wàn)美元不等。你法律上有義務(wù)支付賬單，但在大多數(shù)情況下，公共或私人保險(xiǎn)會(huì)覆蓋大部分費(fèi)用，但并非全部，因此年度費(fèi)用負(fù)擔(dān)可能相當(dāng)大。

For many people used to paying nothing at the point of service or nearly nothing then most Americans face outrageous bills. These include significant copays for office visits and even most with insurance face high deductibles of $1000–8000 before insurance kicks in as well as max out of pocket costs. I’m a retiree on Medicare. Those on the standard plan pay 20% of every bill. My plan covers some preventative care but nothing else until the $3k threshold and then it’s 80% coverage until $7k when the plan covers 100%.

對(duì)于許多習(xí)慣于在服務(wù)時(shí)無(wú)需支付或幾乎無(wú)需支付費(fèi)用的人來(lái)說(shuō)，大多數(shù)美國(guó)人面臨的賬單令人震驚。這包括就診時(shí)的高額共付費(fèi)用，即使大多數(shù)有保險(xiǎn)的人在保險(xiǎn)生效前也面臨1000至8000美元的高額自付額，以及最高自付費(fèi)用。我是一名享受醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)的退休人員。那些使用標(biāo)準(zhǔn)計(jì)劃的人需要支付每筆賬單的20%。我的計(jì)劃涵蓋一些預(yù)防性護(hù)理，但在達(dá)到3000美元門(mén)檻之前不涵蓋其他費(fèi)用，之后在達(dá)到7000美元之前提供80%的覆蓋，達(dá)到7000美元后計(jì)劃將覆蓋100%。

原創(chuàng)翻譯：龍騰網(wǎng) http://mintwatchbillionaireclub.com 轉(zhuǎn)載請(qǐng)注明出處

美國(guó)人 醫(yī)院 賬單

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QA問(wèn)答：美國(guó)人真的需要支付高昂的醫(yī)院賬單嗎？

QA問(wèn)答：美國(guó)人真的需要支付高昂的醫(yī)院賬單嗎？