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Trump spent 3 days in the hospital, receiving multiple drugs and traveling there and back by helicopter.
I estimate his medical care would cost the typically more than $100,000 in the American health system.
Here's my math (1/11) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/07/upshot/trump-hospital-costs-coronavirus.html
I estimate his medical care would cost the typically more than $100,000 in the American health system.
Here's my math (1/11) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/07/upshot/trump-hospital-costs-coronavirus.html
The bills would typically start with repeated, workplace coronavirus testing.
Insurance companies aren't required to cover those! Coronavirus tests usually cost about $100 — but I've talked to workers with as much as $1400 in medical debt from a test required by work (2/11)
Insurance companies aren't required to cover those! Coronavirus tests usually cost about $100 — but I've talked to workers with as much as $1400 in medical debt from a test required by work (2/11)
Then there is the hospital stay itself. According to @FAIRHealth, the median charge for a coronavirus hospital admission where the patient is over 60 is $61,912.
However — there is a *lot* of variation. A quarter of patients face charges higher than $193,149 (3/11)
However — there is a *lot* of variation. A quarter of patients face charges higher than $193,149 (3/11)
Why is there so much variation? In part because the length of stay can vary a lot from one patient to another — and in part because, like every part of American health care, prices vary tremendously from one place to another. (4/11)
Anyway, back to the math. Conservatively, we're at about $62,000 between a typically priced coronavirus test and hospital stay.
How do we get from $62,000 to over $100,000? (5/11)
How do we get from $62,000 to over $100,000? (5/11)
Helicopter transit! It is notoriously expensive, and routinely results in massive surprise bills.
@krchhabra has found the median air ambulance flight charge is $38,770. (6/11)
Ok, so here's where we are on the math
Typical coronavirus test = $100
Median coronavirus hospital stay (inclusive of drugs provided) = $61,000
Two air ambulance flights = $77,000
Total = $138,100
(7/11)
Typical coronavirus test = $100
Median coronavirus hospital stay (inclusive of drugs provided) = $61,000
Two air ambulance flights = $77,000
Total = $138,100
(7/11)
Most Americans do have insurance, which means that that they won't play the entire bill — and will likely have steep discounts negotiated on their behalf. @FAIRHealth, for example, finds that the negotiated price for a coronavirus hospitalization is about half the charge (8/11)
About 27 million Americans are uninsured. There is a federal program to pay their coronavirus bills — except, as @abbygoodnough has reported, it hasn't always worked as planned.
Some uninsured patients have received very large bills (9/11) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/29/health/Covid-obamacare-uninsured.html
Some uninsured patients have received very large bills (9/11) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/29/health/Covid-obamacare-uninsured.html
And even insured patients aren't immune from big bills when it comes to air ambulances. Turning back to @krchhabra's work, he finds that 71 percent of air ambulance rides are out-of-network and leave patients with median surprise bills of $21,698 (10/11)
Because the federal government pays for his care (as, rightly, it should), the president doesn't have to worry about these charges.
Other Americans don't have that luxury, and could have to manage a many bills left over from a hospitalization like Trump's (11/11)
Other Americans don't have that luxury, and could have to manage a many bills left over from a hospitalization like Trump's (11/11)
