cost

Hello all,
I'm a Canadian that had a dual chamber pacer installed. With our National Health Care system we don't pay for this. It's totally covered like any other medical issue. I was just wondering what the cost is to get this procedure done in the US.

12 Comments

Costs

by SMITTY - 2009-07-25 11:07:27

The cost in the states can be anywhere form $30K to $70K or more. It depends on where your are, and if any complications arise. Now answer question, how long, in any, did you have to wait for the pacemaker after it was determined you needed one. As you may know before is one big, big cuss fight going on here about the government managing our health care. Delay in getting needed treatment is one of the items being argued by the opponents of this legislation.

Thank,

Smitty

Pretty damn quick

by sputnick - 2009-07-26 06:07:49

I am not canadian Smitty, I live in England but we too get our health care free so i imagine it is the same sort of system. I have seen posts on here recently about worries for your health care and totally false statements from certain organisations in U.S.A about certain medical procedures being denied to certain groups of people over here.
I had a 24 hour monitoring for palps and dizziness. I received a phone call from my G.P a couple of days later who had just been contacted by a cardiologist at my local hospital. I had an appt with him a few hours later and he explained that my heart was stopping for preiods of up to 10 secs, mainlt at night. I had my p.n. fitted within 24 hours with excellent care in a modern clean hospital , and I didn't have to pay a oenny towards it. I could not have asked for better care, anywhere, I am 56 but can assure you that whatever age I was I woyld have received the same care. That said, I am not going to pretend that the N.H.S doesn't have it's problems but in a population of 60 odd million people where drugs and procedures are ever more complex and costly, there is bound to be difficulty somewhere with free health care for all, regardless of age or income. I also have rh. arthritis and have had excellent care over 40 years including many operations and saw 80 odd year olds having their hips replaced and other op's.

well...

by DC Pacer - 2009-07-26 08:07:52

I had an ablation (failed) followed by a five day hospital stay in CCU (cardiac intensive) and a PM implant this past April. Total cost looks to be around $86K. The ablation may have run around $18K, and the hospital stay around $14K, so the PM was parobably $54K or so. That is what I have been able to decipher from my records...

cost/timing

by Brantfordmuscle - 2009-07-26 09:07:55

Hi,
I had a number of stress tests done over a period of months and then had a tilt test done. The tilt test determined my need for the pace maker after my heart stopped for 15 seconds during the tilt test. I believe I had the tilt test in May. I then had some consultations with the Dr regarding diet (drinking more fluids and eating more salt in my diet).. he suggested again the pacer and that was in late May. My condition is certainly not life threatening as I rarely had the dizzy spells (mostly at the gym or extended cycling). I had the surgery scheduled and it was done less than 2 months later. I really can't complain about the level of service from the health service. I have no doubt that had it been an urgent situation I would have been scheduled much sooner.
I felt great after the procedure.. was kept at the hospital until the xray results confirmed good placement and then sent home to recover. I went to dinner that evening. I have a follow up appointment with the pacemaker clinic in 3 weeks and was given full details of things to look out for and precautions to take for the next 6-8 weeks.
It's interesting to compare the various health care systems and levels of service. I know there was a Canadian woman who recently did a commercial regarding waiting a year for her brain tumour surgery. That has been later found to be a lot misleading. The tumour was apparently near the brain and she was in no danger waiting. In fact some of these tumours require waiting prior to surgery. I've never heard of anyone who has required urgent care being delayed to an unsafe amount of time. In the event you required an MRI for instance and didn't want to wait for the time (which I admit can take months if the condition is not life threatening) you can certainly drive over the boarder to the US and pay $300 for an MRI. If you lived in the US you'd likely have to pay for it anyway.
My way of thinking is that all procedures here cost all residents zip. And we are paying less per capital for our health care than in the US. It's a shame the US hasn't come up with a better system to be more inclusive and one that doesn't break people financially when they are seriously ill. In Canada we don't worry about these things. We know we'll be covered and won't lose our house when we get old. Hopefully Obama will come up with a mix of the two that protects people from being dumped from their coverage and from losing everything when they get old.
I love the US understand that.. we visit there often but the health care system scare the wits out of me.

High Cost for me...

by MsM - 2009-07-26 09:07:59

My implantation of a CRT-D (pacemaker/defib) cost me over $90,000 in Utah. Thankfully the hospital (because I have no insurance) wrote off $27,000 right away. The rest I'll have to make a payment plan for. At $50.00 per month...I'll be long gone before I'm done! :)
MsM

guess I'm lucky

by mandogrl - 2009-07-26 10:07:14

My health insurance through work is pretty good. I had to pay $100 for the tilt table test (because they considered it inpatient, even though I was only there 2 hours) and $100 for the PM (with an over night stay).
The hospital bill had a column of charges a person would be billed (who had no insurance) and then a column of the amounts they accepted from the insurance company (way less than 1/2 of the other amounts).
It doesn't seem right to have a two-tiered billing system like that, so I hope we get a government plan where access is available to all.

Afraid to check mail box

by johnb10000 - 2009-07-26 11:07:12

I had an ablation over a week ago that didn't work and I live in the US.

It took about two or three months to find out if the insurance company will approve the procedure. The procedure was finally scheduled and two days before the operation I finally got approval. There are delays in the US.

Before the operation I tried to get the estimated cost and got answers from 30K to 100K. The insurance company said they will pay 100% but they have a habit and claiming the medical providers charge too much and pay only half.

While in the hospital I was checking the name tags on everybody I see to find out which company might send me a bill. The anesthesiologists are contracted out. The ablation worked for a few hours and the next day they did a cardioversion which wasn't prearranged. Another bill for that one.

The medical companies have a habit and waiting months then finally sending a totally confusing bill with no explanation of what it is for.

If I stop posting here you will know I died of a heart attack after opening the mail and seeing the bill.

I agree

by jimmy412 - 2009-07-26 11:07:42

The regular pricing is wrong. Everybody, especially the ones that can't afford it, should get the lower prices.

Thank God for the NHS!

by dw5281 - 2009-07-27 04:07:39

I too live in the UK where we are so lucky to have the NHS! I had a loop recorder before the PM - blacked out on Sunday & recorded it, went to have the reading checked on Monday, told I needed a pacemaker & had it implanted on the Wednesday!! That's what I call good service!

I really feel for you all - I'm not sure I could've coped with the additional stress about the cost - good luck to you all!

18 grand ablation is cheap

by Angelie - 2009-07-27 05:07:35

I've had 5 ablations and I've never had one less than 40 grand. I did have one EP study that was around $20,000. My pacemaker implant and overnight stay was actually cheaper than any ablation that I've ever had at about $24,000. Go figure?

to think that I've had over $300,000 in medical procedures just in the last 5 years, and I'm only in my 30's. No wonder I can never get ahead. No wonder my education went down the toilet. LOL....There's nothing worse than medical problems getting in the way of your dreams.

Maybe I can move to Europe. Or better yet move to another country establish residency and then come back to the USA enter illegally and become an alien. Yep, that's what I'll do......I'll then get all the benefits in the world that one could ever dream of.

Angelie - how did you pay for it?

by johnb10000 - 2009-07-27 06:07:01

Angelie,

How did you pay for five ablations? Did you have a job with a good insurance company, file for bankruptcy, sell your house or use up your 401K with the taxes and penalties?

I was having trouble getting insurance company approval for one ablation two weeks ago that didn't work. Now I have to wait three months and see if the insurance company will approve a second ablation. I could drop dead from a heart attack when the bill arrives.

At the time the pacemaker was installed I had a good insurance company that paid all except a couple thousand dollars. After changing jobs and going on COBRA I now have a crappy insurance company.

In the UK dw5281 got a pacemaker in three days. In the US it would probably take three months depending on the insurance company.

Insurance

by Angelie - 2009-07-28 01:07:33

I fortunately work at a large company that offers great benefits, but for the first year I didn't have insurance coverage at all. It's taken me 7 years to pay off my medical bills from that period, AND that was with financial assistance from some of my medical providers.
I actually have one ablation still in review, but I'm not worried about it. It doesn't help to worry. I learned that a long time ago. You just do the best ya can with what cha got. It'll all work out in the end.....

I know it's hard, believe me. I know. I wish you all the best.
Angelie

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