I feel sorry for Barack Obama. Not only will history likely blame him for the long tail of the bank failures and bailouts for which the Bush administration was actually responsible, it will also likely blame him (because of the passage of the health care bill that has divided the country recently) for the continued malignancy that is our decrepit, bloated, and corrupt “health care system”. I put that phrase in quotes because I believe that – as the late Walter Cronkite once said – “America’s health care system is neither healthy, caring, nor a system“. While a bunch of Democratic congressmen who have nothing to worry about regarding their health care plans sit around patting themselves on the back for passing a health care bill that has supposedly been the dream of generations of Democratic politicians, the fact is that things won’t change for many, and we’ll still be left saddled with the most expensive and least effective health care in the developed world. The bill does NOTHING to fix what any intelligent person sees as the fundamental problem; it might in fact worsen it. Whether you describe the problem as being a result of government meddling and insurance, or as patient overuse of treatment because insurance will pay for it, or as a result of doctors requiring malpractice insurance, you will notice the word “insurance” keeps popping up. The fact is that the mind-boggling arrangements for billing and payment that exist today would be IMPOSSIBLE without the insurance industry supporting its piece of what really is an incredibly elaborate and blatant ponzi scheme being pulled off by an industry and a profession that operates under the ultimate smokescreen: an illusion of benevolence which implies that they are only here to help you, and perhaps save your very life. And what price can be put on that, right? Well, when you can float enough paper, a pretty high one, apparently. How about seven bags of saline solution for $1,757? Or $12 for a “mucus recovery system”, i.e., a box of tissues that retails for about two dollars? Or $57 for a “fog elimination device”, which is a 2×2 piece of gauze used to wipe down surgical equipment? This kind of billing is so rampant that there is another industry that feeds off the system; “medical billing advocates”. These are companies that will take your insane hospital bill, itemize and contest the bloat that typically contributes to a significant portion of the total, and then bill you for the service of correcting the amount with the health care provider. The entire health system is rife with over-billing, whether because of intentional fraud or the errors inherent in the complexity of how the billing is distributed amongst insurance providers, which all negotiate different deals. Apparently 8 out of 10 hospital statements contain multiple mistakes, overcharging consumers an estimated $10 billion a year. With a system built entirely on such a foundation, how could I possibly care if I have insurance? Someone will pay for it. Maybe me, maybe the government, or – if I receive care as shoddy as what I’ve seen family and friends receive over the past few years – maybe a lawsuit. Below is a quick list of some of the more absurd charges found in routine hospital billing. Have any stories of your own you’d care to share?

$90 charged for a 70¢ I.V.
$129 for a “mucous recovery system”, i.e.: a box of Kleenex
$251 for a bag of saline
$57 for a “fog elimination device”, i.e.: a 2×2 piece of gauze used to wipe down surgical equipment
$1,082 for two bags of intravenous electrolytes, each available online for $5
$1,269 for nine doses of the pain medication Demerol, a markup of 14 times above retail