My back surgery...

[Scuba_Jenny]

When I had my surgery back in 2017, I paid cash. Went in as out patient, stayed two nights. Total was $6500. That is close to what I would of paid if I had insurance at the time and still not hit my deductible. Hospital showed me the bill if it had been sent in to insurance. $30,000.
My mind thinks.. hmm.... why would they "only" charge me 1/4 for cash? Maybe because what they charge the insurance, and what the insurance actually pays is different numbers? Maybe that bill was inflated ($150 for a single Tylenol...)? The whole insurance industry needs a serious overhaul. Where doctors get to make decisions, not actuaries, lawyers, and stakeholders. Insurance is great for big stuff, like what you had done. For little stuff.. better to pay out of pocket.

 

[The Chairman]

The whole insurance industry needs a serious overhaul.

They need to be put out of the medical business. I'm all for universal healthcare. We don't need to debate that here, it's a Pub topic. But I don't mind mentioning it in passing.

 

[DandyDon]

I'm paying 0.32% of the total bill.

I guess that you also have a good Medicare supplement?

 

[The Chairman]

@DandyDon The one from them. I really hate that we have so many options. Some seem to be outright predatory. I hope I'm wrong. Unlike many, I trust the government. What do you have???

I walked to Catfish Hole in Manatee Spings State Park and then back to my the car! That's only a tenth of a mile but I was completely unassisted. There were 2 spots to rest my gear on if needed. Yah, I was a bit winded, but I didn't need to sit. I want to go diving so badly!!! Not today, but soon. @DeepSeaExplorer is even offering to haul my tanks down, but I think I can get there on my own. Now, getting back after exerting myself for a swim might be a bit dicier. I txted him that only last week at this time, I would have scoffed at someone telling me I could walk an entire football field, and here I did it twice. I'm stoked. Now to find and dust off my dive gear! I wonder if it will fit in the Frunk??? That would be nice. I did purchase my yearly park pass while I was there. I don't leave home without it, and it will allow me to go swimming in Itche Springs. That might happen tomorrow. It's about damn time!

FWIW, I've never seen it so busy there. There were 10 or more divers packing up gear in the trucks, or hauling gear down to the Hole. Apparently it's the only place open up here. Well, I bet Jug Hole in Itche is also open. Sidemount only, though. At least in my mind. I even saw Jon Kieran, @kierentec, in there teaching a Scooter class to Hasem. I hope I spelled that correctly. I certainly hope to hear how that class went. Jon is a great instructor and I've seen him in action. That's him chilling out on a hot summer day in North Florida.

Caveat: the duckweed helps keep the vis up by keeping algae down. The diminished light retards the growth. There's a shower on the way back to rinse off if needed. Usually, a blast of bubbles before you surface will push most of them out of your way.

 

[DandyDon]

What do you have?

I blindly signed up with AARP on a rumor that they were great. I guess that they are as they've paid very well on all of my surgeries and treatments, generally all but the odd $17 to $20 office call or $50 emergency room copays. I don't remember exactly which plan I chose but whichever plan choice, I think they all pay the same way based on what Medicare pays. Mine might have been pricier than some others but I think it's the only one that does not go up with increased age.

I took a cheap drug plan but it's covered most of my outpatient meds pretty well. I get my Xarelto for about $13/month instead of $500+ from a Natco factory in India through a Canadian pharmacy which is great as it's a rest-of-life med for me. They have good prices on Eliquis as well, but you're on your last month I think.

My small-town nurse practitioner thinks that Anoro Elipta inhaler is a good idea and I used to get it cheap enough from the same pharmacy but they have gone up considerably. With my local prescriber and local rural pharmacy using 340B government plan, I get it and other meds much cheaper than with CVS,etc. I do need to consider changing my part D tho.

I want to go diving so badly!!! Not today, but soon.

When you do, start with easy newbie dives and exits.

 

[The Chairman]

When you do, start with easy newbie dives and exits.

That will be my entrance and exit. Jug Hole is probably open, but it's a marathon to get there. Nothing else is open up here.

Thanks for answering the other questions. I'm pretty happy with what I have. Except for this donut hole, and that will be behind me this Jan 1.

 

[The Chairman]

Even more interesting, what did Medicare pay on the $360K charge?

I finally found the answer:

 

[Manatee Diver]

I finally found the answer:

View attachment 857012​

I really hate that, it isn't like they don't know what Medicare will reimburse.

Throughout my cancer only at Moffitt did the bills and reimbursement were even close, like 20% off IIRC.

 

[The Chairman]

More on my weight loss. I tried on some of the shorts I bought a few years ago, but were too uncomfortable to wear. They are now way too loose. You can see straight to the floor, I'm not sucking things in, and my baggy, baggy shirt is not tight against me either. I am doing a happy dance.

 

[DandyDon]

I finally found the answer:

So Medicare paid $47K of $360K billed because that's Medicare's call and the hospital previously agreed to accept Medicare's calls. A good Medicare supplement would have paid the $1170 but I don't guess you have one. But then, my supplement costs over $2K/year so it's a personal decision.

I have shorts like that, but I punched additional holes in some of my belts.