http://www.wlox.com/story/18663561/man-bitten-by-snake-charged-143000-by-hospital SAN DIEGO (CNN/KGTV) – A California exchange student who was bitten by a snake is at the center of an uproar and it has nothing to do with his injury. Instead, it's his bill that's taking heat. "I was walking through the brushes and I came over to the asphalt and suddenly a snake bit me," said Dag-Are Trydal. Trydal was bitten by a rattlesnake near the University of California, San Diego campus. Although the snake was a baby, it packed a powerful punch. "I was really scared because I don't know much about the snakes here and how dangerous they are, and as I was walking over, my heart started pumping, and I could feel a tingling in my body and a metallic taste in my mouth," said Trydal. Fortunately, a hospital was nearby. Trydal said he received excellent care at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, and after a night in ICU, he was released with barely a scar on his instep. Then he heard from his insurance company back in Norway. "My jaw was dropping down, yeah," said Trydal. His jaw dropped when he learned his hospital stay cost more than $143,000 - an amount so high, it made headlines in Norway where they have socialized health care. Trydal said he doesn't want to be critical of the hospital that may have saved his life, but that the amount was "way too much." Trydal's bill shows two startling charges for anti-venom, one for $102,400 and another for $25,610. "To me, this is the wrong way," said Trydal. Trydal said he's glad he bought travelers insurance or he might be in debt to the hospital for years. In a statement, Scripps said in part, "We have reviewed our billing practices in this case and find all charges to be accurate and appropriate."
I went to school there and that's the hospital that's basically attached to the campus. ~150k for a snakebite? Ouch. And that's on top of the 70k that guy was probably paying in foreign tuition and housing fees. Yikes lol
wth thats just frigging bull. a quick search on google found that antivenom serum costs 3500 per vial. the insurance company should dispute that and sue the hospital
Depends on the particular anti-venom. It's not a one size fits all cure; anti-venom is specific to a particular species of snake. I got a lecture on snake bites on my surgery rotation in medical school; its typically not a money making proposition for any company. It can be critically life-saving, but the demand is very very low - especially for rare species of snakes. Thus the price can be very high for them. He can call it 'wrong' if he wants, but it wouldn't change the price. In Norway they probably just don't stock the anti-venom anywhere for cost reasons and he'd probably die if he got bitten there.
In Norway they likely don't have rattlesnakes. At least not the kind he encountered in Southern California. So it would be shocking if he is be bitten by this particular snake in Norway. Sort of like being attacked by wild polar bears in Jamaica. This aside, do you have any evidence supporting your assertion that countries with socialized medicine, like Norway, Britain, Canada, Taiwan, etc., have an inferior collection of the rarer anti-venom in order to save cost?
No, not particularly. I perhaps went overboard there. My main point was that I find it ridiculous that he's complaining about the costs. Some times the costs of healthcare are expensive for a reason. Anti-venom is rare and often expensive to produce. The only difference between here and there is that instead of just one person (who incurs the cost) paying the bill, the cost is spread out to millions of people (who don't derive any benefit). /ends soapbox on socialized medicine.
Poor insurance company. I feel so sorry for them that they are treated so harshly by this hospital. I am sure they have no lawyers or legal recourse or years of expertise of paying less than asked or paying less than ordered by law. Ever.
That's not exactly true either, is it? They receive the benefit of knowing that their healthcare costs, whatever they may be, will be covered and not leave them bankrupt. They get to hike safely, knowing that, should they get bitten by a rattlesnake (not exactly a long-shot in this state), they won't get stuck with a $143,000 hospital bill. And, with that, it's off to the D&D...
He should sue the snakes. And the reptile too. Of course he found out later, that would be a tough sell. "We need to give you some anti venom, it's going to cost 100k" "Whiskey tango foxtrot, 100k? "Yes, 100k, but don't worry, if it doesn't work the second one is only 25k."
He has every right in the world to complain, $140,000 for less than 24 hours of service is insane. I cannot wait until price controls are established. Hospitals and doctors are making entirely too much money.
Rattlesnakes are not a rare species in southern California. Any standard hospital should see their fair share of rattlesnake bites in California. I was a pharmacy tech in Austin for a while and they had a decent amount of stock of anti venom for rattlesnake and copperhead. They got a decent amount of cases of rattlesnake bites (mostly hikers ) From what I recall the price was nowhere near $100k. This is a typical case of companies overpricing their product. Your point would be valid if he would have gotten bit by some exotic snake that does not normally exist in this country. But $125K for a rattlesnake bite! Come on rip off if I ever saw one.
I am actually curious about how they would obtain such an item and how it would be financed. I'm not defending the $150,000 charge but in our speculation we should be aware that anti-venom of ANY kind isn't something you can easily stumble upon.
I don't think you have a clue what you're talking about. Unfortunately, this is how most people see the healthcare system....physicians and hospitals or insurance companies making too much. Every side has their story, but our system is too inefficient, and therefore it's expensive. This is why we need an overhaul of the healthcare system, although not necessarily one that mandates healthcare. The system itself needs to be better streamlined, probably have better protocols in place limited certain actions that are not cost-effective, etc. Primary care physicians and pediatricians really don't make too much more than their European counterparts if you perform hourly calculations and add the benefits. They work 40 hour schedules and likely have better benefit packages. Our physicians work a lot more than 40 hours.
