- Report: #37212
Complaint Review: Alice Regional Hospital - Alice Texas
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Alice Regional Hospital
2500 East Mail, Alice, Alice, 89333 Texas, U.S.A.
Phone:
361-668-2376
Web:
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Alice Regional Hospital Massive overcharge for generic medicine ripoff Alice Texas
Alice Regional Hospital Massive overcharge for generic for Afrin and for one pill of generic for Motrin Both were given at E. R. only one dose of each Afrin 31.50 amd Motrin 6.00
Received a statement from Alice Regional for E.R. visit due to fever and bronchitis. Visit was approved by Humana. On receiving statement I noticed I was charged 31.50 for one application ofOxymetazoline Nasal Spray (Afrin)and one ibuprofen (Motrin) pill 400 mg.
I questioned the gross overcharge and was informed (not by Ms. Debbie Hood, Interim Business Office Director) by a Mr. Camerara that Ms. Hood had responded that that was her charge for this medication and that she wasn't going to change it. No wonder the costs of medical insurance continue to rise. I intend to pay her the retail price for one container of Afrin and 25 Motrin. I will not pay any further money and encourage this type of gouging.
Ann
Orange Grove, Texas
Received a statement from Alice Regional for E.R. visit due to fever and bronchitis. Visit was approved by Humana. On receiving statement I noticed I was charged 31.50 for one application ofOxymetazoline Nasal Spray (Afrin)and one ibuprofen (Motrin) pill 400 mg.
I questioned the gross overcharge and was informed (not by Ms. Debbie Hood, Interim Business Office Director) by a Mr. Camerara that Ms. Hood had responded that that was her charge for this medication and that she wasn't going to change it. No wonder the costs of medical insurance continue to rise. I intend to pay her the retail price for one container of Afrin and 25 Motrin. I will not pay any further money and encourage this type of gouging.
Ann
Orange Grove, Texas
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Sherri
Richmond,California,
U.S.A.
Other Factors for High Hospital Bills
#2Consumer Comment
Sun, January 12, 2003
Hospitals and other health care providers have contracts with various insurance carriers, plus Work Comp, Medicare and Medicaid. Unfortunately, though there is a contracted rate, more often than not, the insurance wants to pay LESS than the contracted rate and the healthcare provider must fight tooth and nail in order to collect. Same thing with Workers Comp. What a provider can charge is based on what is called a fee schedule. Guess what? Most work comp carriers don't want to pay that much, so they try to negotiate the rate down with the healthcare provider OR go through a "middleman" who will contact the provider and offer a rate of 18-20% BELOW Medicare (which is probably 33% less than the fee schedule). Healthcare (which I have been employed in for 20 years)has changed, and not necessarily for the better.
Howard
Ingleside,Illinois,
U.S.A.
Explanation of Hospital Costs
#3Consumer Suggestion
Sun, January 12, 2003
Yes, the costs for one aspirin can go up to ten dollars a pill. Why - Most hospitals are non-for-profit. By law that means that some of their services are made at no charge to those that do not have medical insurance, or are truly poor. To make up for this cost hospitals will charge you or your insurance a high price than what you would normally pay at the drug store. As a patient you do not see one-tenth of the personnel that run a hospital. Maintenance Personnel - At least 5 different catagories here. Electrian, Plumber, Medical Electronic Tech, Carpenter, and HVAC Techs. Housekeeping Dietary - From Dishwashers to the Dietians Pharmacy Nursing Administration From Personnel to Cashier Security Personnel Just the Capital Expenditure for One Patient - Bed $2,000 Side Table $100 Wall fixtures $1,000 Starts to get real expensive. Add in Insurance Costs, Waste Disposal - Medical Wastes are Hazardous Material very expensive to dispose off. The add the discounts forced on the Hospital via Medicare, State Aid, and Insurance Companies. So all these costs are passed on to customer. If the Hospital Personnel made errors in your treatment then you have a true complaint, and you should refuse payment to them. Insurance Companies do get discounts on the bills that they receive through agreements with member hospitals. The high cost of Insurance is only partly due to the hospital charges, but also the doctors fees that they pay as well. Why do Doctors charge so much. Well, lets see their costs are high too from Malpractice Insurance to Office Costs. Yep he may bring in a half a million dollars per year. But what is his actual take home pay? He has a minimum schooling cost of 80,000 to 100,000 for 4 yrs of college then another 80 to 200,000 more for medical school. Add the cost of the rent of his office, on top of paying 2 or 3 people to work for him, on top of the cost of equipment and supplies. Adds up don't it.
