I finally received a bill for my open heart surgery in April. See I’m back!
The bill for the initial surgeon’s visit and the operation is $20,280.50. The five days of hospital stay are not included. My bill for three-plus hours of surgery after Medicare and supplemental insurance: $50.50!!
What I pay monthly for insurance is $178.90 for Medicare and supplemental insurance plus $83.70 for prescription drugs. This is deducted from my Social Security. My wife pays the same amount.
According to https://resources.ehealthinsurance.com/affordable-care-act/much-health-insurance-cost-without-subsidy, individual coverage averaged $321 per month and family plans averaged $833. The annual deductibles were $4,358 and $7,983.
To pay the individual deductible, a person would have save about $84/week or two dollars an hour. For the premiums, a person would have to save about $74/week. Together that is $158/week or $3.95/hour. At a minimum wage of $9/hour, that doesn’t leave much for food and rent. Without insurance, a year’s wage of $9/hour would not even cover the above bill.
And lots of politicians and millionaires think these individuals should be happy with what they get. I don’t wish Marie Antoinette’s fate on these “let them eat cake” thinkers, but someday there will be a widespread realization that the people at the bottom of the economic are being taken advantage of. Let’s hope they find better “champions” than Donald Trump and his ilk.
