Hospital treating patients and then suing them.

[amberlyrose]

"People across the country are coping with soaring medical costs, opaque pricing and surprise bills, but these issues are felt acutely in one-hospital towns like Carlsbad, where residents have few options for care — and must pay whatever prices the hospital sets.



“Hospitals that have little competition can negotiate higher rates, because the insurer wants that hospital in their network,” said Sara Collins of the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund. Patient deductibles, which must be paid out of pocket, are rising for almost everyone, she added."

"In 2013, officials of Carlsbad, which is self-insured, formed a task force called the Mayor’s Hospital Reform Committee to address the strain on its budget over health care costs for city employees. Administrators considered sending employees to neighboring towns for care before they were able to negotiate lower rates for key services.



In a presentation to the state legislature in 2015, the mining company Intrepid Potash, a major employer in Carlsbad, calculated that it would be cheaper for one of its workers to travel to Hawaii for a gall bladder operation — including airfare for two, and a seven-day island cruise — than to get the procedure at the local hospital. The company still encourages employees to seek care out of town when possible."

www.nytimes.com/2019/09/03/health/carlsbad-hospital-lawsuits-medical-debt.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&fbclid=IwAR2uC6OjzYt32Rj-6wp05-Ln-4hX4W5gB6wIE3Ja5nUIWDxBWJzpb2SW-M0#commentsContainer


This is my hometown and one of my cousins was interviewed for this story and a larger piece that will be coming out from CNN. I have friends and family that will drive two hours to Roswell or 45 minutes to Artesia for medical care. Most of my friends have scheduled c-sections in Roswell because they do not want to chance going into labor in Carlsbad. The local mines have encouraged employees to go to Mexico for regular doctor appointments.

And yet, the town is very conservative. They are literally being kicked out of their homes due to medical costs and do not see the connection. It's hard to watch from far away. 

[bronxgirl]

Wow. How infuriating and depressing. I wish I had something more insightful to add. :-(

[miniroller]

Oh my gosh, OP! I am so glad to hear CNN is doing a story to cover this horrible situation!! If you or anyone on the board could update showtime details, I’d appreciate!

I can relate to banging your head on the wall re: the 45-support for sure. My hometown is a small farming community, where three families that I know personally are looking at going under/ losing family farms due to rock-bottom soybean prices because of tariffs. One of them allows a Trump tent to be set up on weekends on a plot of land he owns off the highway to sell Trump gear. (I’ll try to snap a pic😐) But they all def vote straight R; makes me want to scream!

[seeyalater52]

We do a lot of work on this issue, I’m glad it’s getting more attention. Also shoutout to my girl Sara Collins. It’s so unconscionable the way some of these hospitals treat people, and that our medical system allows them to operate this way.