On Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 9:45:07 AM UTC-10, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> On Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 3:40:03 PM UTC-4, dsi1 wrote:
> > On Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 12:15:36 AM UTC-10, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > Sure they did. Right up until, oh, the 1960s or 1970s.
> > >
> > > Private charity was imperfect, but people were fairly generous.
> > > Neighborliness went a long way--if your neighbor was suffering
> > > you might send over a casserole or help him find a job.
> > >
> > > When medical technology was relatively primitive, it was not
> > > so difficult to afford treatment. Now, when treatment can cost
> > > hundreds of thousands of dollars, not so much.
> > >
> > > Cindy Hamilton
> >
> > My dad slipped on some ice and shattered his ankle in Sweden. His surgery and the couple of days in the hospital cost $50. My guess the rehab was also similarly priced.
>
> Was that the price he paid, or what the hospital billed Medicare
> and any supplemental insurance he has?
>
> If the latter, I bet the price tag was a lot more than $50.
>
> Cindy Hamilton

Beats the heck out of me. What does medicare pay for surgery on a shattered ankle and a couple of days in the hospital in Sweden? My guess would be - "not much at all."