Cost of dialysis

[mike22]

What is the cost of dialysis per month

[flip]

According to Medicare, it's around $5500

[boxman55]

When I had a group health plan the bills where twice that...Boxman

[Zach]

Actually, Medicare approves approximately $146.00 per dialysis treatment, not including I.V. medications.  Of that amount, Medicare pays 80%, if it is your primary insurance.  Secondary insurance, such as a Medi-Gap policy, pays the remaining 20%.

If you are in a private group insurance plan, dialysis clinics sometimes charge three to four times that amount.
Also what is billed and what is paid usually are two different things for private insurance.

[flip]

According to a publication from Medicare, they pay an average of $67,000 for each patient on dialysis. I'm not sure what all this includes. I've heard that some epo shots go as high as $1000 a pop.

[mid4u]

on onestatement the cost was 38000 for one month dont know what was included epo runs very high

[Rerun]

Like Zach said, what is submitted charges and what is bargained (negotiated savings) is two different things.  When Blue Cross was primary the submitted charges would be $40,000, but after negotiated savings insurance would pay $5,000.  They could charge a million dollars and my insurance would pay $5,000.  Big game, Huge! 

Now that Medicare is primary I don't see anything.  My Blood Pressure has also gone down!

                                                                     

[flip]

I would love to see a detailed monthly statement. All I see is what the insurance actually paid.

[cherpep]

At my old Fresenius clinic, the cost billed per session was between $3000 and $5000, we could never get a good reason why the cost per session varied so much.  I did receive a summary billing that showed these costs, and they did not include any medication or doctor charges - this was only for the treatment.  My insurance company negotiated and agreed to pay $895 per session.  YES, that is per session.  My personal feeling (and I have no proof of anything to back this up) is that they list the per session treatments so high so they can claim the difference as a loss somehow.  Now that I'm on home dialysis, the cost per session is down to around $500.

[flip]

In my former career I got involved in several Medicare and Medicaid fraud investigations. Some of the stuff was unbelievable.

I think we should charge monthly dues and invest the money in Davita and Fresenius stock.

[RichardMEL]

In Australia I believe the govt pays around $60,000 (AUD, which is about 0.9 USD) for a year of dialysis. I am sure this varies between patients. With EPO, I know the highest dose Aranesp dose was around $2,500 a shot (!)... the mond absolutely boggles.

I have no problem paying taxes now given they prop me up to in such a way.....

(Since I do dialysis under the public health system here I get no bills except for medications I take outside of the unit.. they even cover my aranesp shots in center etc)

[paris]

My arenesp shots are $1800 for one shot.  Crazy stupid prices!   

[draven]

The cost of dialysis here in South Africa is about R15000 (us$1900) a month to have it done privately. not including your other meds like iron.
And if u have a decent medical aid they sometimes pay for the sessions. unfortunetly i have to pay a copayment every month.

If u dont have medical aid here, you are pretty much sent home to die. as all our goverment dialysis centers are full.

  i thank my parents for there medical aid every day.

[boxman55]

If u dont have medical aid here, you are pretty much sent home to die. as all our goverment dialysis centers are full.

WHAT! are you serious, does that really happen? ...Boxman

[draven]

Hi boxman.

yes unfortunately it does happen here.

according to the link, 1500 people are diagnosed with Renal failure every year and only 500 of them will receive dialysis!!! thats in my part of the country alone.

and just case anyone was wondering u can get a disability pension or grant but it only works out to $100 a month.
that wont even cover one dialysis session. and u are expected to live on that amount of money.

just one of the reasons I'm seriously consedring emigrating out the country once i have my transplant.

http://www.health-e.org.za/news/article.php?uid=20032082

[Pierre]

WOW... just amazing reading this information... I knew the cost of privitized healthcare in the US was high to say the least, but this realy astonished me.  That's what you get when health is turned into a major business I guess.

I receive an invoice each month from the hospital with all the costs involved: one session in my low care center has a pricetag of 255,99 euro, which includes all costs except iron and regular labtests. In July the amount of the invoice was 3.688,42 euro of which I had to pay 34,24 euro. This does not include medication I have to get myself at the pharmacy. When I started and dialyzed in hospital one session costed 199 euro.