Well, it turned out the estimate I posted before was radically wrong. Curt’s report to me, sometime back, that the running total was 40,000,000 won ($40,000) was based on a misunderstanding on his part.
The bill, yesterday, was so affordable as to be mind-blowing. Like any medical bill, it’s hard to understand – further complicated by the fact of it being in Korean. I have placed the important figures in colored ovals in the scan below, in the upper right quadrant.
The pre-insurance total (red oval) was 10,807,626 원 ($9700 at current exchange). That’s what I was expecting to pay after insurance. And the after insurance total (green oval) was 2,806,960 원 ($2500).
This is just mind-numbing. Why does healthcare cost so much in the US? It’s not like they were using substandard equipment, here, with me. It’s not like Korean doctors are underpaid – they all drive BMWs. It’s not like Korean taxes are impossibly high – they’re lower than in the US. I guess I’ll go on a more detailed rant about this, another time. But for now, just consider: 23 days of hospitalization, over 10 hours of Operating Room time, 46 hours of ICU time, uncountable doctor visits, 2 PET scans, CT scans, an initial radiation treatment, MRI. All in that bill.
I love Korea.
The yellow oval for 90원 (8 cents) deserves its own blog entry – it’s a very funny story. I’ll write it up later.
I think the keyword here as to what’s wrong with America’s medical system is: Profiteering.