Regarding “The $3,300 surgery bill that wasn’t”: How insidious! Due to an error, the gentleman in the article had to jump through two years of hoops from his knee surgery to finally get the money back that he shouldn’t have ended up owing in the first place. Ridiculous and all too common, unfortunately.
I’ve never had surgery before, but when or if I ever do, I’ll plan on asking (through clenched teeth) the penetrating questions required for my own financial safety. Who knows how my recently obtained Medicare Advantage plan will work?! Will my plan cover my surgery? If not, how much will it cover? Is my provider in network? Is the lab in network? Is the actual owner of the building that holds the lab in network? Is the surgical center part of the hospital system that is in network? Is the anesthesiologist in network? Is the hospital or clinic in network? Are the intake staff in network? Are all of the aftercare staff and equipment in a recuperation room in network? Are the nurses, surgical techs and assistants in network? Who is the “payer” for the insurance company, and are they in network? Are there parts of the network that are not in network? Ugh! If there is a change in any of these companies, procedures or policies, will I be notified? Did I miss anything?
Absurd, indeed! Yet this is how these separate entities make their ill-gotten profits and why surprise medical bills are so rampant. Quite frankly, at age 65 now, I dread the day I have health issues and need expensive medical care. Enough is enough! It’s time to consider realistic rules and regulations against the multitude of so-called “entities” that absorb our hard-earned money!
Seriously, it’s time we wake up from our coma and realize that universal health care can’t be as bad as this.
Sharon E. Carlson, Andover
People don’t kill people, bullets do. As our nation remains paralyzed in the face of wanton destruction and the violation of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, we can far too easily fall into a pit of despair and helplessness. But we are not limited to crude arguments about keeping our guns or banning them (“Take these weapons away,” Readers Write, Sept. 6). There is a whole universe of options out there. At a minimum, we can enact a 500% gun tax. We can enact a 500% ammo tax. This is very doable, especially in Minnesota. The cost of liberty is steep, and we should soon pay it, or we will pay in other ways — at the hands of a very angry God, the God of children, the God of orphans and the God of the innocent.
