$19,919.00 man that's a bunch

[boxman55]

I got a packet of statements today from my insurance they where just related to the dialysis clinic I go to, for the month of November $19,919.00. No Doctor charges no lab charges just dialysis. If you times that by 12 months thats $239,028.00. If you add in two fistula surgeries, gall bladder surgery, all testing to get on the list Doctor visits and monthly labs I would bet it is close to or over $400K. Good Grief...Boxman

[Romona]

You are worth every penny!

[okarol]

Jenna's dialysis in-center was always right around $5,000 per month. Wonder why your's was so much?

[kitkatz]

Oy yeah. I figure I am the three million dollar dialysis patient!

[angela515]

I used to read my statements sometimes for my PD, and it was averaging around $20,000.00 a month for PD, and I did everything myself... lovely. Glad it was just a statement and I wasn't paying for it. 

[bolta72]

I bet a lot of this is over-charge.

[goofynina]

You are worth every penny!

I second that statement 

[RichardMEL]

I understand the average yearly cost of dialysis treatments as borne by the govt is $A60,000 (around $US54k)

[boxman55]

You are worth every penny!

I second that statement 

  That is so kind of you both. Thanks...Boxman

[del]

You're worth every penny!!!  Never know what ours is. Never get any statements

[KT0930]

I used to read my statements sometimes for my PD, and it was averaging around $20,000.00 a month for PD, and I did everything myself... lovely. Glad it was just a statement and I wasn't paying for it. 

Hmmm, wonder why so much? Mine's around $3,000. I'm also PD. Boxman, I agree with the others! (Sorry, just got home from out of town tonight and didn't get online in the last few days).

[angela515]

I used to read my statements sometimes for my PD, and it was averaging around $20,000.00 a month for PD, and I did everything myself... lovely. Glad it was just a statement and I wasn't paying for it. 

Hmmm, wonder why so much? Mine's around $3,000. I'm also PD. Boxman, I agree with the others! (Sorry, just got home from out of town tonight and didn't get online in the last few days).

Dunno, the statements I viewed (I only viewed a few) were for supplies and all of it, so who knows. Either way, I didn't care cause I wasn't paying for it!

[Bajanne]

Over here, your insurance pays if you have insurance.  Otherwise it is free.  So right now, I am getting free dialysis.  The operation on my graft recently was also free. The costs here are US$500 per session, so it costs about $6000 per month.

[Phillip_20]

Good thing you don't have to pay that lol

[G]

Mine averaged 16K a month with private (BCBS) insurance. Now on medicare they are lucky to get 1/3 of that. Whatever the market will bear right???

[breezysummerday]

$273,600 per year     

You think my s/o would have limo rides to and from dialysis with these costs!

[MiSSis]

Just checked some of my Medicare and my secondary insurance United Health Care EOB's to see what my treatments cost. 

Doctor charges $500.00 per month for ERSD related services for home dialysis.  Those charges include my monthly visit with them and any calls I might make during the month to either the doctors or my PD nurse. It also must include the cost of their delivering my supplies each month.  Although my machine and supplies are Fresenius, my clinic does things a little differently in that they order and stock all of our necessary supplies and delivery them to their patients themselves.  So if I run short on anything during the month or my prescription would change for any reason, I can either run in to town and pick up the supplies that I need or they will deliver them personally.  It's also wonderful for when we travel.  My hubby and I will be out of town on the normal delivery day next month but they've said No Problem...just give them a call when we return and they'll run the stuff out to us.    Sorry, got a little off track here.   

Doctors charge             $500.00 - Medicare approves $207.23 - Medicare pays $165.78 - UHC pays $41.45
Daily Home PD charge       58.39 (x30days)                  58.39                          45.61                   11.68
Aranesp Injection           566.00                                566.00                        453.00                 113.00
(Varies with dose)

Total monthly charge will be in the range of $2,583.32 with a yearly cost of approximately $31,000.00.

I'm so fortunate to have the insurance coverage that I do.  I pay an annual $2,150.00 deductible which I reached yesterday afternoon merely from prescription medications.  So I'm free and clear for the rest of the year as long as I don't stray outside of the plan.  I always just cross my fingers that I don't happen to get sick when we're traveling. 

I wonder why there appears to be such a disparity among the different providers?

[lola]

Just foundout Davita is charging 60,000.00 a MONTH WTF!!!!!

[G-Ma]

Yes, I got my Medicare and UHS the other day and almost hit the floor....and this was just for one month.....23,000.  Don't think I'll make a practise of studying these statements. 

[RichardMEL]

On a radio show down here the other week they said the oz taxpayer pays approx $A83,000/year for dialysis treatment of a patient.. They didn't mention if that was hemo/pd/home/in center etc or just an average. A year ago it was $60,000.

hmmmm

$A83,000 = approx USD$55,000, 41,000 euros and 39,000 pounds sterling.

[monrein]

That sounds similar  to the  figures I've seen for Canada.  Approx USD$50,000 to 60,000 per year with home hemo being on the cheaper end.  Not sure about the cost savings of self-care over hospital but it would be quite a bit saved in the way of staff salaries I should think.   The difference is that's it's not for profit.

[dialysisbiller]

Hi Boxman, I have to be honest, that is fairly cheap. Medical billing is a fickle thing. First, charged amounts do not reflect actual paid amounts. For instance, if you have medicare, the charged amount will be $25,000, but since Medicare (CMS) is essentially has a limit on what you can and cannot receive, each dialysis treatment only will allow for $140.00- (Medicare only pays 80% of allowed amounts)- patient's who have secondary coverage will pay the remaining 20%, if  a patient does not have secondary coverage, they are usually billed, but at some dialysis companies, special arangements are made to help patients. In another situation with a patient who has a commercial payer, the dialysis company may be contracted and both dialysis co and insurance payer agree to a set price for each treatment.

To find out what your insurance actually paid, there should be a 'paid' at the bottom of your Explaination of Benefits. It is possible your insurance payer does not have a contract and will pay the full amount of the charges. It's these payers that help keep dialysis companies alive.

In the grand scheme of it, $140 for 4 hours 12, 13 or 14 times a month, doesn't go far at all. If you do the math, these centers cannot survive on government insurance companies alone, the quality of care would be even less than what you are seeing now.

[deafman]

Thanks god mate that the Aussie government pay most of the cost for dialysis.

We only have to pay for prescription.

 

[dialysisbiller]

The government will pay for patients with ESRD(end stage renal disease)- AFTER a COB period (Coordination of Benefits) and if i went into detail of that you'll either fall asleep or your head will explode. It is THAT messed up. So, after this COB period, it could be up to 33 mos, the government will pay 80% of the allowed (approved) amount, which ranges from $120- $210 (for medicare depending on the calculation from the URR, HGT and WGT etc etc) and for Medicaid patients(state funded gov't not federal) it's less. (Geez I hope your head is still together)

That is where "I" step in and help out patients deal with this junk so they don't have to

[Zach]

And let's not forget over-billing for EPO, etc.