In article >,
"Michael \"Dog3\"" > wrote:

> Omelet > newsmpomelet-A416AB.10165515092008
> @news.giganews.com: in rec.food.cooking
>
> >
> > Socialized health care is badly needed, and imho, inevitable... It's
> > just too bloody expensive for any normal family to afford any more.
> >
> > I just hope they get it right.
> >
> > I do nightly audits for duplicate charges in the lab and credit them.
> I
> > KNOW what it costs! One long hospitalization can totally wipe out
> > someone's lifes savings.
>
> Oh hon... you don't need to tell me that. I got really sick back in '03.
> I stopped keeping track after the first year but did get copies of the
> hospital, doctor and related charges. All told in one year my medical
> costs were right at 1/2 million bucks.

And few if any people can pay that off realistically in a lifetime. :-(

> That doesn't include medical
> treatment I received before being admitted to the hospital or for the
> past couple of years due to the illness. I had excellent health care
> insurance which covered all of the bills with the exception of a bedside
> commode I had ordered in one of my wonderfully pleasant,morphine induced,
> deliriums (is that even a word .

Yes. <g>

> I couldn't even use it if I had been
> able to.

My mom used a bedside commode the last 6 months of her life. I'm
familiar with them. I bought it from the local health care supply...

> Due to multiple issues and surgeries I was given a temporary
> colostomy.

Glad it was reversible babe!

> The docs and nurses got tired of fighting with me and had one
> brought up. Sooooo... I had to pay $246 out of pocket. For all of the
> bills. I was lucky. 500 grand would have depleted the money supply
> fairly substantially. People in less fortunate circumstances would have
> been wiped out.
>
> Michael

Or homeless... <hugs>
--
Peace! Om

"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed." --Mark Twain