What do hospitals charge their patients?
Every year, the International Federation of Health Plans — a global insurance trade association that includes more than 100 insurers in 25 countries — releases survey data showing the prices that insurers are actually paying for different drugs, devices, and medical services in different countries. And every year, the data is shocking.
It pays to try to get to the bottom of your medical bills because they’re subject to more errors and overcharges than you might think. Here are some examples of ridiculous overcharges on a patient’s itemized bill (which you usually need to ask for—and review with a fine-toothed comb):
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1. Tylenol
What’s it for: Pain relief
Charge to patient: $15 per individual pill, for a total of $345 during average patient stay
Real-world cost: $10 for a 100-count bottle.
2. Patient Belonging Bag
What it’s for: It’s essentially like a grocery bag to hold your personal items
Charge to patient: $8
Real-world cost: $0.24
3. Box of tissues
What it’s for: Sometimes listed as “mucus recovery system,” we’re pretty sure you know what tissues are used for
Charge to patient: $8
Real-world cost: $2.50 for a 184-count box
4. Gloves
What’s it’s for: Anything from safely administering medicine to performing surgery
Charge to patient: $53 per non-sterile pair (sterile are higher), for a total of $5,141 during average patient stay
Real-world cost: $0.17 for a non-sterile pair/$0.69 for a sterile pair
5. Cup medicine
What it’s for: This cost is for the plastic cup used to administer medicine, and not the actual medicine.
Charge to patient: $10 a cup, for a total of $440 during average patient stay
Real-world cost: $o.09 a cup
6. Marking pen
What it’s for: To mark the body for surgery
Charge to patient: $17.50
Real-world cost: $3.00
7. Cuff, BP Adult
What it’s for: Use of blood pressure cuff
Charge to patient: $20 (for a single use)
Real-world cost: $50.00 (to own your own)
8. Oral administration fee
What it’s for: Charge for nurse to hand you medicine taken by mouth
Charge to patient: $6.25 per instance, for a total of $87.50 during average patient stay
Real-world cost: $0.00
9. Swabs
Charge to patient: $23 per swab, for a total of $322 during average patient stay
Real-world cost: $3.19 per 375-count box
