Recently I was hospitalized due to a partial obstruction of my small intestine caused by my Crohns disease, and it has given me an insight into the health industry here in the states, and proof of how important insurance is. (It also is why there have not been updates to my site for a while.

It seems that when your insurance claims reach a certain amount they get denied whilst the insurance company reviews them, and I have managed to reach that threshold (about $10k).

What’s amazing though is when you see the amounts being claimed. When I went to hospital I went to the ER department, and saw the doctor who decided to admit me. That was about 11pm. I was admitted at about 8am having had a CT scan, and stayed 1 additional night.

The bills are starting to come through now. Each dept will bill separatly, and I’ve only had a few bills so far.

CT Scan: $3,600
MRI: $5,900
Hospital stay: $15,000
Follow up appointment with Gastrenterologist: $250

So we are already well over $20,000 without all the bills. My treatment was complete rest with no food or drink for 2 days, on a saline IV line to keep hydrated and some anticoagulants to stop me getting dangerous blood clots.

Whilst my treatment was good, I don’t feel it was any better than I would have got on the NHS, and I was sharing a room with someone else.

So how much would something serious cost?