We recently had a woman (just last month) who came in with a post-op issue that would require another surgery to repair. I told her most surgeons won’t touch another surgeon’s patient if there is a problem, because they don’t want to get sucked into the lawsuit that will likely result. That was when she dropped the factoid on us- the surgery had been done in Costa Rica because the surgeon, hotel, and air fare was about one third the cost as having the surgery done here. We tried to get her admitted to have it repaired, but we couldn’t find a single surgeon willing to take the case.
It’s like trying to find a carpenter who will remodel your house while the house is on fire.
As an emergency nurse, I periodically (a couple of times a year) see patients who come in with post procedure complications. There was the woman who had to have her right ass cheek removed when the silicone injection she got in South America became infected.
The fact is, it’s cheaper to have these things done in other countries because the standards are lower there. You are rolling the dice.
I understand the draw- my own doctor is screwing me over. Back in February, I went in for a 6 month checkup (I go every six months because I am diabetic). The visit was billed to insurance at $500. The blood work (CBC, CMP, TSH, A1C and a Lipid panel) was billed out at $2399. Insurance got it down to $1408. For routine labs. So the total bill for a semi-annual checkup was almost $3,000. I told the lab that I am not paying that. Had I known what the bill was going to be, I would never have agreed to it.
I agree that medical billing is deceptive and often high. There is no way to know what they will bill you ahead of time, because many won’t post a price list. I can understand saying “Hey, we can’t tell you what this hospital visit will cost, because we don’t yet know what the problem, the testing, or the solution will be,” that makes sense. What doesn’t make sense to me is how a hospital won’t disclose what they charge for a CBC, or a CT scan. Trump tried to force that, but the stupid TDS sufferers and the health care companies banded together to defeat it.
Our health care here in this country is great. It’s the deceptive shell game pricing that is the issue.
5 Comments
Grumpy51 · August 29, 2026 at 8:09 am
Functionhealth.com charges $365 for over 100 different labs. While I can’t use my insurance, I can use my HSA. I take the results and give to my internist. And that above price includes a repeat of abnormal labs 3-6 months after the first set.
TRX · August 29, 2026 at 11:01 am
> The blood work (CBC, CMP, TSH, A1C and a Lipid panel) was billed out at $2399. Insurance got it down to $1408.
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I had full blood and renal panels, and a bunch of extras including thyroid and testosterone, run through Quest a month ago. It cost $100 through a somewhat shady outfit called “Mito Health”, reselling Quest labs for way cheaper than Quest’s walk-in rates.
JimmyPx · August 29, 2026 at 11:11 am
Surgery in another country is another issue but some dental procedures in the US are a total ripoff. I cracked down to the root a molar and it had to be pulled.
Guess how much for an implant ? $8000/per tooth !!
Meanwhile I could fly to a dental clinic in Mexico where the dentists attended US dental schools, have the latest technology, are clean and will charge 1/3rd of what they do in the US.
The funny thing is after they measure, the new tooth implant will be made in China and then shipped to the dentist in the US or Mexico.
It’s highway robbery and I can see why people do that.
Also if you don’t want to go to Mexico, European dentists will do the work for half what an American one will.
I work in healthcare and the healthcare providers are excellent in the US for the most part.
The problem is and has been funding it and that’s a mess that no politician wants to touch.
TRX · August 30, 2026 at 7:16 am
Despite brushing twice a day and no candy or sugared drinks as a child in the 1960s, I had rotten teeth. My Dad was an E-3 in the military, and though dependents had medical coverage, my mom didn’t like the base dental clinic and took us to a civilian dentist, where my dad paid cash. If there was such a thing as “dental insurance” back then, I don’t think they knew about it.
I had four caps and three fillings that I can remember. Which all fell out when I got a little older and my adult teeth came in. I have no idea what the dental work cost, but I was one child out of several, and my dad could afford it. He didn’t believe in debt, either.
Last year I had a crown installed after a tooth split. It was $1100 for a total of less than an hour in the chair, over two visits. I’m not fond of debt either, but it had to go on the credit card.
I know I have less buying power than my dad did in the mid-1960s, but the price for dentistry – at least in my area – is crazy.
gary gray · August 29, 2026 at 1:43 pm
Karl has the fix, and has ben railing about it for a long time.
(they are all criminals)
The Bill To Permanently Fix Health Care For All
https://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=231949
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