Medical care in the United States can be incredibly expensive. Someone may not have any choice but to accept this care if they have been injured, but that doesn’t mean that they can afford it. This is why medical debt is one of the top reasons why people declare bankruptcy.
But how expensive is this care? Let’s look at a few of the more expensive procedures in the U.S., which include:
- Knee replacement surgery: $35,000
- Hip replacement surgery: $40,000
- Spinal fusion: $110,000
- Heart bypass surgery: $123,000
- Heart valve replacement: $170,000
These procedures can actually be even more expensive than the totals listed above. These costs are just for the procedure itself, and may not include things like medical care before and after that procedure, drugs and medications that are administered, at-home care, rehabilitation and much more. Plus, many patients also have to pay for things like airfare and lodging if they need to travel in order to get the medical procedure.
What if they have insurance?
Insurance can help in some situations, but there’s no guarantee that it will be there for a patient when they need it. The insurance may not cover the procedure, or it may take a long time for the person to get reimbursed. In some cases, a person will get care that they believe is “in their network” and then find out later that it isn’t, meaning that they are not covered even though they thought they were. This can all be very problematic for someone who is looking at hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in medical bills.
As noted above, though, medical debt is one of the top reasons for bankruptcy. People just need to know what legal options they have.
