On July 4, I had a small accident when stepping down the one step to the ground from my porch. I have a door handle mounted on the post and I grabbed it as we always do and when stepping down, slipped and in trying to stop my fall, hit the post supporting the stairs above. My skin is very fragile as I have been taking Prednisone drug to help with my breathing for more than 25 years. It causes the thinning of the skin and I have many scratches where the skin has been torn loose. Normally I have used a Band-aid to pull the skin back together and hold it while it heals.
I recieved a statement from the hospital that the V.A. had paid the bill in full. The doctor when inspecting the tear in my skin on my left arm measured it at 2 and 1/4 inches. He disinfected it, put some glue one each side and applied some 1/4-inch by about 1-inch strips of tape to pull and hold the skin together which I have done many times with Band-aids. On the 9th I removed the bandage to change it and found that a 1 1/4-inch portion of the wound the bandages had slipped leaving a gap of from 1/8 inch to 3/16 inch.
The charges for all this was: use of the emergency room for approximately 2 hours, $371.27; a tetanus shot from the pharmacy $105.90; administration, i.e. give me the shot, was $50.09; and estimated insurance due was $454.29, for a total off $1,015.73.
We have been residents of Kenai most of the time since 1976 and because of having breathing problems made many trips to the old hospital but since the new addition was added, I do not believe that a single one of my visits have been less that $1,000.00. Can anyone understand why the insurance companies keep raising their dues?
