The real problem with healthcare

The real problem with healthcare is that the prices are exorbitant. It has NOTHING to do with insurance, insurance costs, premiums or the insurance business AT ALL. The healthcare bill passed by congress will do nothing to decrease the cost of health care - only force employed, tax-paying citezens to pay for everyone. My case is made here: I just received the bill for delivering Macey. This does not include Macey's hospital bill, nor does it include my OB/GYN payments, nor does it include the anesthesiologist. All of those bills are separate. This is just for ME, and delivering Macey. I went in the hospital on Wednesday, and was released on Saturday.

TX HLTH ARLINGTON MEMORIAL HOSP

Private Room: 3240.00
Drugs: 196.25
Med/Surg Supplies: 54.00
Laboratory Services: 1225.50
Laboratory Services: 194.25
Laboratory Services: 60.75
Laboratory Services: 334.00
Operating Room: 2462.00
Operating Room: 642.75
Drugs: 737.11
Recovery Room: 1057.25
Totals: $10,203.86

Does anyone see a problem with this? $3,200 for a private room? At Arlington Memorial, they don't offer anything BUT a private room in the maternity ward. $933 for drugs? I was on a morphine drip for 12 hours, then I had pain meds (ONE Lortab and a motrin every 4 hours after that) And that cost almost a grand? What the heck kind of labs are they running, either? More than $1800 in lab services? I don't even remember them drawing my blood more than three or four times! Over three grand for the operating room - that I was only in for less than two hours??? And than more than $1,000 for the recovery room? I was only in the recovery room for less than two hours!!

Blue Cross Blue Shield covered $9,998 of these costs, but I of course had to pay my 20%, and my deductible, so that means we paid more than $2,200 out of our pocket for Macey just to be delivered at the hospital. BCBS ended up only paying about $7,700 of my hospital stay (Remember I didn't include OB/GYN costs, Macey's dr. bills and separate deductible, or the anesthesiologist) That is in addition to the $350 per month for my insurance premium that is deducted out of my paycheck monthly.

Just think: If the true cost of healthcare went down: meaning: hospitals and doctors not charging an arm and a leg for every little thing a patient touches, then the insurance companies would not have to pay out as much to said hospitals, then said insurance companies wouldn't have to charge such costly premiums, then consumer (patient) ME wouldn't have to pay so much! The government buying insurance for every American will do nothing to lower the costs of healthcare. Sadly, it will do the opposite. It is going to force the hospitals to charge even more for their services, therefore, causing the insurance companies will be forced to fork over more money to pay the hospital bills, therefore, the insurance companies will pass the buck to you and me, and premiums will skyrocket. Alas. A sad day.