Uninsured Americans Face Confusing Bills, Inconsistent Charges

May 29,2013

Navigating the American health care system can be daunting, especially for the estimated 30 million people in this country who lack health insurance. In the first of two reports on the costs of health care, uninsured patients face not only unmanageable costs for their care, but also bewildering medical bills and inconsistent charges for their hospital stays.

Tatyana Schum was at home with her dogs when a burning sensation ripped through her body.

"Unbelievable pain like I've never felt before," said Schum.

The pain was from an inflamed gallbladder that had to be removed in emergency surgery.

And that 90-minute procedure produced about $18,000 in bills.

"$18,000 seems a little bit crazy," said Schum. "But then how do you know?

You don't, according to Dr. Gerard Anderson, the Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Hospital Finance and Management.

"If you go to a hospital in the United States and you want to know what you're going to get charged for an MRI or a day in the hospital or anything, they're not going to tell you. And they're not required to tell you by law," said Anderson.

"That's hard for me to swallow and I'll tell you why - it's because everybody's going to need a hospital at some point," said Schum.

We took Schum's bill to Michelle Katz, a nurse and health care consultant. She's written two books on how to bring down hospital costs. Katz says patients can look out for additional charges or errors in bill coding.