Why health care costs so much

Greg Dattilo and I are writing a new book. Our working title is “Why health care costs so much.”

I had a practical example on July 31.

Early that afternoon I suffered chest pains. (Since them, I have been calling them chest “aches.”) At the time, all I knew is that they did not stop. Feeling pains in the chest and the accompanying pressure is disconcerting, to say the least.

I called my doctor, planning to go to the clinic. They gave me to a triage nurse.
The triage nurse demanded I call the paramedics. She told my wife absolutely not to drive me to the ER. I felt stupid, because the pains (ache) were higher up in the chest. I had no other symptoms of a heart attack. But she insisted.

At the ER, two EKGs, blood work, and a chest X-ray indicated that whatever I had, it was not my heart. Yet, the ER doctor suggested I say overnight in the hospital and get a stress test.

I went home. Five days later, I had the stress test, but my insurance agent told me I had already spent all my deductible. I had the nuclear stress test, by the way.

The great news: My heart is 100 percent. The not so great news: I still have the achy chest, but it is far less of a problem. Tomorrow, the endoscopy. I told my doctors to look up helicobacter pylori (check it out at www.helico.com). We may be on to something here.

Why do we spend so much on health care? To date, I am guessing we’ve spent $5,000-$6,000 on this incident, although I have only seen the $1,600 charge for the paramedics. And there is more to come.

On July 31, there is no question I needed to see a doctor. Maybe even in the ER. Maybe.

My story, however, does indicate in a small way why health care costs so much.
Defensive medicine played a role. If the triage nurse had agreed with me, and I had suffered a heart attack on the way to the clinic, she fears getting sued. If the ER doctor had not offered the chance for me to be admitted, and I suffered a heart attack at home, he fears being sued (he admitted to me that the number one reason ER doctors get sued are chest pain issues).

Okay. They were all doing their job, and did it professionally. I get it. But I also realize that I spent at least $4,500 that accomplished only two things; it gave me peace of mind about my heart and it ate up my deductible.

So, of course, that means I am now considering other medical irritations that just might need treatment this year, instead of next. I admit it. I am just as human as the other 304 million Americans. The deductible has been met. What is your next question?

Oh, did I mention, I have a high deductible health plan and an HSA. And am I ever glad I have the HSA! And a good heart.