Living in the United States has a lot of perks, from the incredibly friendly people and astounding nature to the universities and the great job opportunities. However, one of the biggest drawbacks that Americans have to deal with is the healthcare system. More specifically, just how expensive going to the hospital can get, whether you have health insurance or not. Things can get so ridiculous the entire system starts to look very dystopian.
To show you what we mean, the Bored Panda team has collected this list of the most mind-blowingly expensive hospital bills that Americans have shared online. The prices are, well, they’re ridiculous, to say the least! If these photos won’t get your jaw to drop, then practically nothing will.
Time and again we’ve analyzed why the system is so cumbersome, inefficient, and actually forces a lot of people to consider not going to the hospital whatsoever because of the huge medical debts they’re likely to accrue.
#1 Avoid Paying Costly Medical Bills By Dying Instead
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#2 So This Is Crazy
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#3 My Cousins Child Birth Bill From The Hospital In The USA. Never Seen Anything This High
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The simple fact of the matter is that the healthcare system in the United States is incredibly wasteful. As reported by The New York Times in 2019, at least 760 billion dollars are wasted each and every year due to the poor management of funds.
#4 Hospital Billing To Hold Your Own Child After Birth
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#5 My Bill For A 2 Night Hospital Stay
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#6 Insurance, You're The Greatest!
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That amounts to around 20 to 25 percent of all American healthcare spending not being used as it should. Instead of reaching patients and making their healthcare better and cheaper, that money is used for administrative purposes and keeping the system afloat. In short inefficiencies in the system lead to larger costs. And the American people suffer for it. With the Covid-19 pandemic, things have gotten worse.
#7 I Went To The Hospital (Us). They Did One Blood Test, Decided I Had A Virus That They Could Not Identify And That They Could Not Help Me, And Then They Sent Me Home. This Is The Bill From My Insurance. For One. Single. Blood Test
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#8 I’m A Registered Nurse That Contracted Covid. This Is My Bill For My Visit To The Emergency Department
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#9 Hospital Bill For A 21yo Admitted For A Suicide Attempt - This Is The State Of Our Modern American "Healthcare"
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However, Investopedia provides slightly different numbers than the NYT. According to them, the US spends around 8 percent of its healthcare costs on administration. “Providers face a huge array of usage and billing requirements from multiple payers, which makes it necessary to hire costly administrative help for billing and reimbursements,” they explain why the waste in the system occurs in the first place.
#10 My Mother’s Hospital Bill Of When She Went To The Er Cause Of Her Gallbladder And Had To Have Emergency Surgery. She Was In The Hospital For One Day
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#11 My Father In Law's Hospital Bill After 2 1/2 Days In The Hospital For Observation
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#12 I Bought Dental Insurance Specifically So I Could Afford To Get My Wisdom Teeth Removed. Humana Deducted Less Than What I Pay Them Monthly From My Medical Bill
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Investopedia notes that the Covid-19 pandemic has further increased the pressure on the already highly complex and expensive American healthcare system. “There’s an urgent need to expand testing and treatment for COVID-19 to all residents who need it, regardless of health insurance status. Massive federal cash influxes have sought to shore up hospitals sagging under the weight of the coronavirus burden and the related cessation of elective surgery and regular medical care,” they write.
#13 Welcome To The USA. Just The Hospital Bill From A Car Accident. Note Charges Denied
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#14 Having A Baby Is Not Cheap
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#15 Insurance Just Paid $57,605.79 For Medication That Costs Under $100 Anywhere Else
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However, the American healthcare system has had issues long before Covid. Life expectancy in the US stands at 78.8 years while it ranges from 80.7 to 83.9 in other high-income countries that the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at.
#16 The Worst Part About Healthcare! This Is A Real Bill For A Motorized Wheelchair, Something A Person Needs To Live!
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#17 My Hospital Bill After A Single Mri Brain Scan In The Us
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#18 Got The Hospital Bill For Delivery Of My C-Section Baby. I Don’t Think I Need To Say Which Country I Live In
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Unfortunately, only 90 percent of Americans have health insurance which is 9 to 10 percent lower than in these other industrialized countries. Many Americans feel like they simply cannot afford insurance.
#19 My Recent Hospital Bill Seems A Little On The Steep Side.. (This Is For A Five Day Stay With No Surgery)
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#20 My Buddy's Son Ate A Penny, This Is How Much The Hospital Charged For A 5 Minute Procedure To Get It Out
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#21 My Brother Fell While Rock Climbing And Broke His Neck, Back, And Ankle. This Is What The Bill Looks Like For Two Surgeries, A Week Hospital Stay, The Neck/Back Braces, And Ankle Cast
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National Nurses United points out that a whopping 78 percent of adult Americans avoided visiting the hospital while 44 percent skipped medical care due to the large cost, in 2018. In a very sad commentary on the reality that Americans face, nearly a third, 30 percent, said that they were forced to choose between paying for their medical bills and necessities such as buying food or paying for their housing.
#22 Just Got My $39k Hospital Bill For Having A Stroke At 34
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#23 Went To The Er For What Turned Out To Be A Panic Attack. These Were The Consequences
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#24 Got Our Hospital Bill On The Same Day That A Handwritten Thank You Card From My Wife's Nurses Arrived
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Meanwhile, NNU also reports that back in 2019, 137.1 million people living in the US said that they were struggling with medical debt. The complexity of the system and the high hospital charges also drove up the cost of treating those ill with Covid-19. The cost of treating a Covid-19 patient who stays at the hospital can reach over 42.4k dollars if there are no or few complications. Whereas those with major complications can end up paying over 74.3k dollars for their stay.
#25 About A Month Ago I Had To Give A Guy Cpr During Covid, Which Meant I Needed To Get Tested. Today I Got The Bill For Being A Good Samaritan
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#26 $129 For The Hospital Gown But Only $6 For Opioids. Make It Make Sense
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#27 Look At Those Discounts
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What do you think about the healthcare and health insurance systems in the United States, dear Pandas? What do you think it would take for the situation to fundamentally change? Have you ever had to pay off a huge hospital bill like in this list? Share your thoughts and feelings about the topic in the comment section at the bottom of the article.
#28 Just Got The First Bill For My Back Surgery. The Surgery Itself Is Not Included On This Statement
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#29 My Cousin Was In A Motorcycle Accident Last Month, Has No Insurance, And Spent 4 Days In The Hospital. Just Got His Bill Today
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#30 I Owe Them $1500 Just To Remove Blood Out Of The Tip Of My Finger
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#31 The Hospital "Helping"
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#32 Went To The Er For What Turned Out To Be Bad Food Poisoning. Was In A Bed For Less Than 2 Hours. Got The Bill Today
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#33 I Had To Be Transported To The Hospital Last Year In An Ambulance. It Cost $1,118
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#34 U.S. Healthcare At Its Finest. It's Great That I Got That Cares Act Adjustment, Otherwise I'd Have Been In So Much Debt
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#35 This Is The Cost Of A Rattlesnake Bite In America
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#36 I Forgot My Meds And Had An Anxiety Attack At Work. My Boss Freaked Out And Called 911. Just Got The Bill Today, For Less Than 2 Hours Of Care And A Xanax
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#37 My Buddies Medical Bill For A Month-Long Stay In The Hospital After Being Hit By A Driver High On Heroin
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#38 An Uninsured Covid-19 Patient Just Got Her Medical Bill: $34,927.43
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#39 $70,000+ In Medical Bills?
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#40 T-Pain’s Brothers Medical Bill For Staying In The Hospital For Over A Month
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#41 170k
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#42 My Hospital Bill For An Uncomplicated Birth
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#43 Wow
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#44 Don't Get In A Car Accident In The Us. 3 Days $60,000, And That's Just The Hospital Bill
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#45 3 Day Stay In The Hospital After Knee Surgery. Medical Bills Are Ridiculous
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#46 Healthcare As God Would Have Wanted It
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#47 Fifth?
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#48 I Was Rearended, Went To Hospital, Doctor Asked A Couple Of Question (Didn’t Even Touch To Check). Sent Me To Xray Room. Came Out Negative. Total Of Time Spent: 1 Hour Waiting For My Turn, 5 Min Question, 5 Xray. That’s It
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#49 Welcome To The United States, Where It Costs You $800 To Have Pneumonia (With Good Insurance)!
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