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Mayor Daley of Chicago and His Wife Had the Flu

 
 
Reply Wed 1 Jan, 2003 09:30 am
I read last week that Mayor Daley of Chicago and his wife had a case of the flu and spent 2 days in Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago in order to recover from their illness.

Reading this news item, I wondered to myself about the Mayor's health insurance plan.

What kind of health insurance allows a patient to spend 2 days in a hospital bed, on a floor, today for the flu? I know mine doesn't.

What do you think? Does being Mayor of Chicago give you a special health "perk"?

Is something out of sink with a 2 day stay in the hospital for flu, when the average woman who's had one or two breasts removed as part of a therapeutic cancer treatment stays only 2 days on average? Remember, there was a time, when breast amputation was covered by health insurance for only a 1 day stay, while prostate removal has always been
associated with a 7 day hospital stay, fully covered by insurance.

Sad
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Type: Discussion • Score: 1 • Views: 1,618 • Replies: 11
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Walter Hinteler
 
  1  
Reply Wed 1 Jan, 2003 09:57 am
New Haven

Actually, I don't know, why I'm wondering more: about only (sic!) two days for recovering from an influenza or that this isn't paid by health insurance (which would somehow explain the some tenthousands, who die each years).
0 Replies
 
New Haven
 
  1  
Reply Wed 1 Jan, 2003 04:58 pm
If you were to show up in a major teaching hospital's ER in the USA and complained of flu-like symptoms, they'd give you an Rx , a bill and then send you on your way (IF YOU WERE AN ORDINARY PERSON)

The cost of a room for a one day stay in a Boston area hospital is easily $1000.

Why only 2 days in the hospital for a breast removal? This is traumatic surgery .
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Phoenix32890
 
  1  
Reply Wed 1 Jan, 2003 05:12 pm
During the 1980's, Medicare introduced what is known as DRGs, or Diagnostic Related Groups. This protocol defined the length of time that Medicare would pay for the hospitalization of a person for any particular illness or operation. Over the years, the commercial carriers have relied on the DRGs for their own payment determination.
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New Haven
 
  1  
Reply Fri 3 Jan, 2003 07:34 am
The organization of the DRGs makes little or no sense at all to me.

Is a mastectomy in the same seriousness category as the flu? Crying or Very sad
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Phoenix32890
 
  1  
Reply Fri 3 Jan, 2003 07:37 am
New Haven- Since when did anything that the government does make sense? I remember when I went to a seminar in the 80's when the DRGs first came out. I can remember us all talking about how this just could not be happening. And it happened!
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New Haven
 
  1  
Reply Fri 3 Jan, 2003 07:41 am
I can remember when a thyroid removal mandated a patient stay in the hospital of 2-3 days. Insurance paid for it and the patients need healing time.

Today. I 've seen thyroidectomies leave 3 hours after surgery Embarrassed and then have to return to the hospital because of infection!
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Phoenix32890
 
  1  
Reply Fri 3 Jan, 2003 08:26 am
Puhleeze- My husband had outpatient sinus surgery a number of years ago. They sent him home the same day with a barf bag, which he used on the way home!
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eoe
 
  1  
Reply Fri 3 Jan, 2003 11:23 am
I kind of chuckled myself at that story of Mr. and Mrs. Daley. Of course they received special treatment. It's amazing but not surprising.
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New Haven
 
  1  
Reply Fri 3 Jan, 2003 04:24 pm
Their visit to the hospital was expensive for the taxpayers, since both Daleys had to have round-the-clock police protection, the whole time they were in the hospital. Exclamation
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babsatamelia
 
  1  
Reply Sat 4 Jan, 2003 02:40 am
*New Haven, I should think that the price
for one day in any US hospital is more like $2000 actually,
since I've had the unfortunate luck to have been put in
the hospital for about 10 days each, twice in the past
2 years - and I read the bill and wanted to barff.
*Now, in Mexico, I spent about 10 days in a very nice
hospital - (unfortunately this was not at all how I had
planned to spend part of my time in Mexico)
and the total bill was just a bit over $3000, for
10 DAYS!!??@$
Welcome to the world!
I have mentioned on another thread, about 3 women I
know who, upon finding a lump in the breast, went to
see their primary physician, had a mammogram, and
were advised to return in 6 months for another
mammogram because the results were not "definitive".
They actually waited.... and guess what???, they have
breast cancer. That 6 months just about made certain
that their chances for survival are seriously limited.
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF MANAGED CARE IN ALL ITS
GLORY AND SPLENDOR and corruption.
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New Haven
 
  1  
Reply Tue 7 Jan, 2003 04:22 pm
You're right. Managed care wants to take a "wait and see attitude".
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