What is the true cost?

One of the most interesting thing about the fight/discussion on the health care system is the sound bite tactics that the media take on the issue. Not only do we get bombarded with every sob story in the book, insurance companies are painted out to be these money hungry entities out to steal our hard earned money.

I want to point out just a few of my biggest complaints about this "picture" we are spoon fed.

First off, look at the snippet from the article below. (highlighted for your reading pleasure) This family pays $290 per QUARTER for dialysis for their son.....that comes out to $96.66 per month. ( if you get a grande soy chai at Starbucks at $4.50 a pop that adds up to $135.00 per month...just to put it in perspective). BUT, how much does the GOVERNMENT pay for the dialysis that this sick child receives?

Politics, poverty, immigration entangle Texas health careTexas' health care entangled in politics, poverty, immigration 09:31 AM CST on Tuesday, December 4, 2007By JASON ROBERSON / The Dallas Morning News jroberson@dallasnews.com
Miles Brooks was born in 2002 with end-stage renal disease, or kidney failure, and immediately placed on dialysis. Every night, the DeSoto boy gets hooked up for 10 hours to a machine in his bedroom – his mom, Chinea, connecting the tubes to a catheter in his tummy. Also Online As a child with chronic kidney disease, Miles qualifies for Medicare, but there is still a premium charge for his medical insurance through the federal program. So, on top of what dad Michael Brooks pays at work for the family's health policy, the couple must also come up with $290 every three months for Medicare. They've borrowed from relatives and been late on their mortgage in order to send a check to the government program. The Brooks family, like a lot of others dealing with a chronic or pre-existing condition, and those without employer-provided coverage, hope the government will step in with a plan to provide universal health coverage or make insurance simpler and cheaper. But in Texas, the state with the largest percentage of uninsured residents in the nation, such sweeping change isn't likely to come soon, unless it arrives from Washington.

***note to the reader, THIS is the missing link to the WHOLE story, so pay attention***

From: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_dialysis.html
How much does dialysis cost?
In preparation for this article we contacted the San Diego dialysis center listed below. We were told that the initial set up with the catheter, first week of treatments, feeding tube placement etc. typically runs $2500-$3000. After this, each treatment costs $500 (the average patient requires 3 treatments per week).
PS.....this is the cost for our PETS to have dialysis....

From: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/Content/sooph-2006.htm~sooph-2006-www.htm~sooph-2006-www-howmuch.htm
The state of our public hospitals, June 2006 report
How much does your treatment cost?
The average cost for treating conditions depends on the complexity of treatment, the anaesthetics and drugs used, the level of care and time in hospital required and the surgical facilities needed.Caring for patients with severe burns is the most expensive at about $125,000 for each patient.Renal dialysis, provided to patients with temporary or permanent kidney failure, is at the lower end of the cost scale at $484 per treatment. Renal dialysis replaces the function of the kidneys to remove waste products and excess fluids from the bloodstream, while maintaining the proper chemical balance of the blood. However, because each renal dialysis patient needs a number of services each week, the amount spent on the more than 660,000 public hospital dialysis admissions in 2004–05 was more than $321 million, the highest total cost for the procedures considered in this report. This does not include dialysis services provided to non-admitted patients in outpatient facilities. In contrast, the total cost of caring for patients with severe burns in 2004–05 (126 admissions) was less than $16 million.

So, when the family pays $96.66 per month for coverage, shouldn't they be thankful that they don't have to pay: $484 per treatment x 30 days per month = $14,520 per month? I think they should send me a thank you letter...really all of us thank you letters because ALL of our hard earned tax dollars pay for his much needed treatment. I am happy to help families in need, I just wish the media would pick up on the whole story...and that story includes the true cost of care.

I hope and pray only the best for Miles Brooks and his family,

Misty B.

PS. It costs more to put our dog on dialysis than it does your kid? And no, I still don't have a dog but my 7 year old did ask for one for Christmas....thank God Santa isn't real.