Life: Medical bills take toll on personal finances, medical bills, bankruptcy

Every day it seems that I post something related to hospitals and the cost of healthcare as well the new technology that is coming out. This information today from the Orange County Register talks about the high cost of health care. In Orange County home repossessions are at a record high as well. 50% of the hospitals in the country border on insolvency, but yet the debate goes out on there about insurance. It certainly is not getting any better and even the insurance companies are looking for new markets in China. So where does it all end? Have we finally reached the bottoming out point here? Medicare audits recently returned some nice numbers reflecting fraud, but how much of this is really recoverable? Are we beating out heads against the wall when strategies up front could have handled some of this and focuses more so on getting blood out of a turnip?

Not a case for fraud by any means of the word and those folks deserve punishment, but how about the folks that were caught along who were facially innocent bystanders or participants? With healthcare billing and payments the way it it set up, there’s room for that all over the place as the government has shown us with their audits, even within their own offices. It’s everywhere, so I ask where is the focus, to collect and put more cash stricken hospitals out of business if this is the case?

In case nobody has noticed, push has finally come to shove here, so how much further will the drill go. Have we totally out priced ourselves as a nation not to be able to afford our own medical care for the sake of robbing Peter to pay Paul? Check out the statistics below. Who are the good guys and bad guys anymore, or have we lost focus in some of those areas too where it gets too gray to see? Now we have “desk rage” at places of employment as folks are running out of people to blame and take it out on their co-workers or their computers…all stemming from the same thing. It’s time for a new system and Congress needs some new steam to get this going, quickly. BD

Health care providers are also struggling under the weight of unpaid bills. Last year, California hospitals lost $9.7 billion treating patients who couldn't pay, according to data reported to the state. Those losses cut into revenue hospitals need to buy diagnostic equipment, staff emergency rooms or even stay open.