To our health

Wonder who wrote this piece?

IMO I strongly disagree with this line of thought! This expansion represents $84 million in profits over-charged to patients for healthcare by a not-for-profit organization.

This is an example of exactly why healthcare cost is soaring 4-5 times the rate of normal inflation. AND the reason more and more individuals can NOT afford healthcare coverage. Currently nearly 20% of the US population is uninsured, with this number growing higher every year.

melange,

You are on here everyday and I rarely hear you say anything positive.

Think about the great health care we have in this area-it is unprecedented for the size of population that the hospital supports. Contrary to what you think the hospital does not work on a huge profit margin. I have heard that they work on 3-5% profit margin which is nothing like private business which works on 15-20% many times. Let's take your scenario that Saint Francis make little or no profit. How will they expand their services? How will they take advantage of new technology? How will they continue to offer great care to Southeast Missouri? The answer is they will not because they cannot afford to. Look at hospitals in Atlanta and other cities across the country who are struggling to keep their doors open. I think we are blessed to have Saint Francis and the leadership there that it takes to have the vision and the fortitude to ensure that Southeast Missouri has access to great health care right in our back yard. Yes, it is expensive. Yes, the system is imperfect. However, I feel it is worth the price to have the access to quality health care right here in Southeast Missouri.

I'm afraid I have to agree with melange. A year or so ago, I had a simple round of surgery to unblock my carotid artery, and was in St. Francis for a little over 24 hours. The hospital costs alone totaled over $37,000! Included in that total was a stent that the doctor used for a few minutes to keep my artery open while he cleaned it out, and that stent cost over $3,000. Also included was a small tube of Duraseal used to keep my incision closed while it healed, and that also cost over $3,000. Those costs didn't even include the doctor's bills.

Americans complain about the cost of their medical care and often blame insurance companies and drug companies, and they certainly do deserve their share of the blame. But the major costs associated with medical care today is payment to hospitals and doctors.

St. Francis was able to submit their bill to my insurance company without even detailing their costs, and the insurance company paid it with no questions asked, as the hospital knew in advance that my insurance company paid that amount for my type of procedure. If that's what the insurance company would pay, then that's what the hospital would charge. You can count on that.

And one would think that since our medical care is the most expensive in the world, it must also be the best in the world. But it isn't. We are way down on the list of countries having the best medical care, and we drop lower on that list nearly every year.

In St. Francis, for example, while I was recovering in the ICU, the nurses and other hospital staff were having such a loud talking session outside of the patients' doors at night while we were trying to sleep, I had to call one of them to ask them to stop all the noise so we could get some sleep. There didn't seem to be much regard for the comfort and recuperation of the patients, and these were patients who had all just had some sort of heart or vascular surgery, and were in a life-threatening, serious condition at the time.

JoJax, Thank you for sharing your story!

missourinative, Well you obviously don't read everyday (debates rarely appear positive, neither does change)...btw...my online habits are not really any of your business.

I am very passionate about this issue, as I have had way too much personal and professional experience on both sides of the insurance, healthcare and cost topic.

Population of our surrounding communities has NOT increased to justify the type of expenditures that these hospitals are making. I won't repeat my previous points, as they are IMO a sound debate, and the reason so many can NOT afford healthcare coverage in the US.

Well! You can be sure that the big turd in this little pond called Cape has declared we don't need this hospital, so St. Francis you better cancel all your plans right now!!