FWIS3

Not that it matters pointing it out, but I guess I'm a glutton for punishment.

Charging $81,000 dollars to administer $3000 of snake venom then justifying it by saying they increase the price because they are forced to give discounts to insurance companies...and people still think the medical system here is better than elsewhere. *sheesh*

Luckily the bill was reduced to $20,227 dollars, so I gather that means that for an 18hr stay at a hospital they charge $17,227 dollars. I figure the doctor and nurse costs are thrown in as a bonus at these prices.
Then the guy has to pay $5400 out of his own pocket as part of the insurance extortion...I mean co pay bullshit.
Cost of a day in hospital averages about $1700 from what I've read in the USA.

$3000 for anti venom, $1700 for bed, what's the remaining $76,000 err $15,527 dollars for????
Oh yeah, I totally forgot, it's for the crazy cost of the CEO's car, office with teak table and a 24hr hooker as a second secretary.
Silly me.

Yeah yeah, I know, it's because of all the poor people they have to treat for free and for the magic water that they give to the public so they believe that crap.

You forgot to rant about the tax deduction for the $50,000 they had to write off because the insurance company wouldn't pay it.

The rant was implied and left for readers to have something to complain about.
See, it worked.

I read this story on Yahoo! news and I was just stunned that the hospital would charge that much for an 18-hour stay. But, he is lucky that he lives where he does. I asked my nurse practitioner about anti-venom and she said nobody in Texas has any except for a hospital in Houston (I think she said). We'll just try and make sure you don't lose a limb, she said. Well, so far I or my partner has killed four snakes, none of them venomous as far as I know, but I'm no snake expert. Most are rather small, but one was 8-feet long and another 7-feet long. The seven footer was black and grey with yellow all around it's mouth and white polka dots on it's rather wide tail. Just hope I don't get bit by a snake, 'cuz their ain't any anti-venom in this neck of the woods.

Snakes aren't too bad. A little olive oil and some salt and pepper...

OldCM wrote:I read this story on Yahoo! news and I was just stunned that the hospital would charge that much for an 18-hour stay. But, he is lucky that he lives where he does. I asked my nurse practitioner about anti-venom and she said nobody in Texas has any except for a hospital in Houston (I think she said). We'll just try and make sure you don't lose a limb, she said. Well, so far I or my partner has killed four snakes, none of them venomous as far as I know, but I'm no snake expert. Most are rather small, but one was 8-feet long and another 7-feet long. The seven footer was black and grey with yellow all around it's mouth and white polka dots on it's rather wide tail. Just hope I don't get bit by a snake, 'cuz their ain't any anti-venom in this neck of the woods.

If you're really concerned, research what venomous snakes live in your area, and order some anti-venom to keep on hand.

And if you do so, be aware that antivenin expires.

The problems are also the cost to factor along with lifespan and species identification as not all can be used generically.

In Australia it's a lot simpler as the CSL (Commonwealth Serums Laboratories) was government operated since 1916 and they developed the serums which was done as a public service so the costs are very cheap. They have been privatised since 1981 or so. I had friends that worked at the CSIRO and CSL back when I was with the DOD, we did lunch together regularly as the factories/labs were very close to each other.

For the record, they also did a lot of the stuff for the USA so when you are told the cost of developing some serums is huge and it explains the costs, ask if they actually developed it because CSL was a world class lab at the cutting edge of technology and was virtually giving their services away for decades which many countries took advantage of. Often it was cost the cost of wages and supplies that was invoiced.

Making a gross obscene profit on life saving medicine that cost the distributor almost nothing to develop and purchase is a good business move so US citizens should be proud of their business leaders in boosting the economy of their wallets. But that can be a rant for another day.
Just be sure it wasn't developed in the USA before going on the rant or it could be embarrassing. lol

SciFi Chick wrote:If you're really concerned, research what venomous snakes live in your area, and order some anti-venom to keep on hand.

Well, I might if I were:

If I were a rich man,
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.

But I'm not. I know the internet says there are rattlesnakes in this area (Rusk County in East Texas), but I have not seen one on my property so far.

FZR1KG wrote:Snakes aren't too bad. A little olive oil and some salt and pepper...

You and your idiot twin brother from another mother (Fisher) don't help.... LMAO

brite wrote:

FZR1KG wrote:Snakes aren't too bad. A little olive oil and some salt and pepper...

You and your idiot twin brother from another mother (Fisher) don't help.... LMAO

Sure we do. We help all the time.

Hey Zee, tell me about that Snake recipe

Sigma_Orionis wrote:Hey Zee, tell me about that Snake recipe

Crap.... I forgot.... you redneck idiots were triplets....

brite wrote:

Sigma_Orionis wrote:Hey Zee, tell me about that Snake recipe

Crap.... I forgot.... you redneck idiots were triplets....

why do you encourage them?

It's her hobby.......