Can we talk dollars?

[bkdamon]

Hey all,

I did a search for typical costs that ones have paid for AVR surgery and came up with nothing really. Is that subject taboo for some reason? I realize every case will differ but I was just curious about what different ones had experienced. I've seen costs listed from $170,000 to $8000 (supposedly in India you can get it cheap) and now I'm wondering what my real world expectations should be and what you paid, if it's ok to ask that.

Thanks,

Brian

 

[Ross]

For my zip code, the charges should be, if all goes as expected:

Physician Services

Service: Heart Valve Surgery - Heart valve repair or replacement
Fee: $4,474
Fee Details: Physician fee for procedure and routine postoperative care.
Pricing Agreement: Printable Detailed Pricing Agreement

Hospital Services

Service: Heart Valve Surgery - Replacement or repair of a heart valve.
Fee: $25,200
Fee Details: Price is for a 9 day admission. More days charged at $1620 per day. Fewer days will reduce price by $1620 per day.
Pricing Agreement: Printable Detailed Pricing Agreement

Anesthesia Services

Service: Heart Valve Surgery - Heart valve repair or replacement
Anesthesia Fee: $2,405
Fee Details: Price is for an average surgery time of 4 hours and 30 minutes. Prices may go up or down based upon the actual surgical time required.
Pricing Agreement: Printable Detailed Pricing Agreement
Total Fee: $32,079

PM me your zip code and I'll get a print out for yours.

 

[Ross]

I can tell you my first was billed out for $250,000, but I was in the hospital 50 some days. On my second, I it was billed out at $128,000, but again, I was in the hospital 60 days.

 

[Ross]

See your PM's. Your area is a little bit cheaper.

 

[Lynlw]

Are you asking what people paid/ out of pocket with insurance or if you didn't have any coverage what your bill was?

 

[dick0236]

The following info is totally meaningless....but food for thought:rolleyes2:

My total charges in 1967, including valve, surgical team and 14 days in hospital were less than $7000:eek2:

If my math is correct:confused2:, at 3 1/2 % inflation, the cost today would be about $31000:redface2:. However, we all know that ain't what it costs......makes you wonder:rolleyes2::confused2: where all the money is going.:eek2:

Ross, I just reread your above post and using your figures, my 14 day surgery would cost about $40000. Thats not too far off my 3 2/2% inflated numbers. From what I've read I thought the current cost was much higher than $40000. Where do these +/- $100000 come from?

 

[Ross]

Here is a link of value to everyone. Sort of a Priceline for health care:

http://www.healthcarebluebook.com/page_Default.aspx

 

[mecretired]

I just had my surgery on May 3 and don't have the surgeon's or the hospital bill yet. But the anesthesiologist was $6,000. My surgery was 6 hours long--so $1000/hr! I guess it was worth it, as I didn't wake up during surgery but did wake up after!

 

[catwoman]

Hospital bill was about $110,00, if memory serves right. I was in from Monday (had heart cath, admitted afterwards, had surgery on Tuesday 6/24), and was released on Monday, 6/30. Anesthesiologist's bill was about $4,000 max; surgeon's was $7,000-$10,000 -- don't remember.

I only paid $100 out of pocket, for room & board co-pay. Everything/everyone was in network. This was 7 years ago.

 

[mainframe]

My insurance company paid Stanford and California Pacific Medical Center (for 3 weeks of rehab) $1.5 million. I actually had 4 surgeries (VR; chest close; balloon pump removal; pacemaker implantaion) and was in the hospital 2 months. My max out of pocket for "out of network" is $2000 per year.

 

[malibu82]

hi, i just received my bill from heart surgery may 21st 2010. i was in the icu for 2 nights and a step down unit for 2 nights. total cost $110,000.00. They are billing insurance first of course. But it should be interestingggggggg!

 

[Ross]

I always love the billed amounts. They're lucky if insurance pays half that much.

 

[Dale 1]

My surgery was on Nov. 2, 2009 in Boston. I went in for surgery on Monday, spent 24 hours in the ICU afterwards, and was released mid-day on Saturday. The total cost (sorry, I don't have a breakdown) was $110,000 and change. I had a Bentall procedure (aortic valve replacement, root aorta replacement, and aortic grafting); surgery was 8 hours, 4 hours on heart-lung machine. Insurance paid about $47,000; the rest came from me (my co-pay of $250) and "adjustments" made in the bill by the hospital.

 

[olefin]

My complete AVR was $85,000 in 1991. Included 21 days in hospital due to complications. My retirement insurance paid the maximum lifetime benefit of $50,000.

 

[kfay]

I always love the billed amounts. They're lucky if insurance pays half that much.

The Mayo clinic billed me around $125,000 for mine two years ago and my insurance company paid for all of it but maybe $3,000. It didn't cost me anything out of pocket.

 

[vtbecca]

Gabe's truncus repair in 2001 was around 100,000 for the original hosp that diagnosed and the charges at Duke. His valved conduit was $8,000, as was the surgeon fee. Everything was itemized, and thankfully we had great insurance so we paid a very small amount. I think the ICU was over 1,000 per half day. I shudder to think what that would be now with inflation! I hope he never has to go without insurance!

Becca

 

[Bill B]

About $100K total paid by insurance on a bill of $330K. That includes everything: all pre-op testing, dr. visits and the hospital stay. My share was my $3K - the maximum out of pocket per year for individual or family. That doesn't factor in that we pay a monthly premium for coverage at work. That covers the whole family with essentially unlimited coverage for about $1K/month. It would cost almost nothing if we went HMO, but we elected to pay for the PPO plan, which allows us to go anywhere w/o gatekeeper referrals. So, I was able to go directly to Stanford and pick the surgeon I wanted with no pre-approval or referral. Had I been 4 years older and on Medicare, I could have gotten the same care for essentially nothing.

 

[sue943]

Oh boy am I glad that I don't live in the US!

Mitral and Aortic valve replacements, including angiogram pre-op, in a private hospital cost my insurers £27,274.78 which converts to $39,338.40. That included eleven days in hospital and the food was delicious.

Same surgeon and cardiologist in an NHS hospital - cost £0.00, food in that hospital stinks which is a good reason to have opted for private since I was insured.

 

[Luana]

My hospital bill (with all doctors fees) came in just under $200,000. The negotiated rate that my insurance company paid was about 1/3 of that -- pretty paltry if you ask me. I had nothing in out-of-pocket expenses. If you're looking to negotiate a cash price with the hospital, consider starting at 25%, and hopefully you won't have to go higher than 33%; also ask if that will include all doctors' fees, including anesthesiologist. It probably won't if you're paying cash, so you'll need to negotiate separately for those fees.

Years ago when I was a kid, I was in the hospital about two weeks for rheumatic fever. I remember my mom exclaiming when she saw the bill, "$25 a day for the hospital room! $25!"

 

[Allisoninoz]

I live in Australia. We have Medicare, which is a taxpayer-funded health system that covers people in public hospitals for surgery etc. There is a gap fee but only if you earn enough to pay it. Most people who can afford it have private health cover (about $60 a week for a family) which means we can choose to be covered for hospital stays, surgery, anaesthetic etc. I'd never have to pay more than $150 co-payment for a hospital stay no matter how long I was in there. The private health cover also gives us discounts on optical, dental, physio etc. I don't understand how the US system works - but isn't that what Obama is trying to change (but there is much opposition)? I'm sure the US is a great place to live - but the health system costs scare me!