The High Cost of Healthcare

Hospitals are usually one of the last places a person wants to visit.  It’s usually a relief when a patient leaves and returns home. That is until the medical bill arrives in the mail a few weeks later.  Medical bills rarely end up being an amount the patient expects, as it is virtually impossible to know what the final amount will be until the bill arrives.  This is not surprising considering how confusing in/out of network insurance coverage is by itself, let alone the varying prices in miscellaneous charges.  Annual healthcare costs today average around $10,739 per person, but that number doesn’t seem to be going down anytime soon.

Costs on the Rise

Unfortunately for Americans, healthcare costs are only going up.  Over the past fifty years, healthcare spending has increased dramatically, becoming one of the country’s largest industries and accounting for almost 18% of the GDP.  In comparison, healthcare spending only accounted for 5 percent of the GDP in 1960.  To make matters worse, Emergency Room visits, which are essentially involuntary, have seen the highest rates of increase, especially over the last ten years.  From 2009 to 2015, Emergency Room spending increased 85%, from 4.3 billion to 7.3 billion. What’s even more shocking, though, is that during this time, the number of visits to the ER actually decreased from 10.5 million to 9.4 million.  The average price of an Emergency Room visit in 2009 was just $452, but by 2016 the average had more than doubled to $894.

What is causing the Increase?

There are several factors that are causing the increase in healthcare costs, and more specifically ER visits.  One of the more unreasonable causes is the increase in “high severity” visits to the ER.  Every visit to the ER has a “facility fee” associated with it, which are coded anywhere between one and five, with five being the most severe.  The higher the severity, the higher the facility fee. Between 2009 and 2015, high severity cases (4 and 5) increased by an average of 15%, while low severity cases (1 and 2) decreased by approximately 33%.  Unfortunately, once again, the patient doesn’t know what severity their visit was categorized until weeks after. These increased costs have lead to medical debt becoming one of the most common forms of debt sent to collections.

Healthcare costs are practically unavoidable, and unfortunately, they are only getting higher.  If you have been hit with an unexpected medical bill, or are receiving calls from debt collectors, please give one of our Bond & Botes offices a call for a free consultation.

Share This Page

Bond & Botes Law Offices

At Bond & Botes, we now offer full service bankruptcy consultation and filing over the phone or by video from the comfort and safety of your home or office. Please call 1-877-581-3396 or click here to setup your free phone or video consultation.

The lawyers at the Bond & Botes affiliated offices serve clients at offices in Anniston, Birmingham, Mobile, Montgomery, Opelika, Decatur, Huntsville, Florence, Haleyville and Gadsden, Alabama; Vicksburg, Hattiesburg and Jackson, Mississippi. Read our disclaimer here. You can view our Privacy Policy here.

Alabama Offices

Birmingham

2107 5th Avenue North
Age-Herald Building
Birmingham, Alabama 35203
Phone: (205) 802-2200


Shelby County Location
15 Southlake Lane, Ste 140
Birmingham, AL 35244
Phone: (205) 802-2200


Florence Location
121 S. Court Street
Florence, AL 35630
Phone: (256) 760-1010


Huntsville Location
225 Pratt Avenue NE
Huntsville, AL 35801
Phone: (256) 539-9899


Montgomery Location
311 Catoma Street
Montgomery, AL 36104
Phone: (334) 264-3363


Decatur Location
605 Bank Street
Decatur, AL 35601
Phone: (256) 355-2447


Haleyville Location
914 19th St.
Haleyville, AL 35565
Phone: (205) 486-3580


Gadsden Location
430-B Chestnut Street
Gadsden, AL 35901
Phone: (256) 485-0195


Opelika Location
216 South 8th Street
Opelika 36801
Phone: (334) 887-7666


Anniston Location
1302 Noble St #2C
Anniston, AL 36201
Phone: (256) 344-3559


Cullman Location
200 Second Avenue SW
Cullman, AL 35055
Phone: (256) 739-9866


Mississippi Offices

Jackson Location
5760 I-55 North, Ste 100
Jackson, MS 39211
Phone: (601) 353-5000


Hattiesburg Location
607 Corinne St, Ste B8
Hattiesburg, MS 39401
Phone: (601) 264-7200


Vicksburg Location
1212 Farmer Street
Vicksburg, MS 39180
Phone: (601) 353-5000

© 2024 by Bond & Botes Law Offices. All rights reserved. Disclaimer | Privacy Policy