Expenses Incurred for Medical Treatment on a Cruise Ship Disclosed by a Passenger Following Illness Aboard
In a recent incident, a passenger aboard the Norwegian Escape cruise ship incurred nearly $10,000 in medical expenses, shedding light on the high costs associated with healthcare, not just on land but also at sea.
The passenger's detailed bill revealed steep charges, with $219 for admission and $274 for a COVID test being just a part of the total. This case serves as a stark reminder that medical treatment on cruise ships can be as expensive, if not more so, than emergency care in a U.S. hospital.
Commenters on the incident noted that these prices, while seeming excessive, are not significantly different from costs in U.S. hospital ERs. An ER visit in 2021 averaged around $2,000-$5,000 but could exceed $10,000 for comparable acute medical care, depending on tests and treatments administered.
The high costs on cruise ships are partly due to the fact that they operate their own medical facilities staffed by physicians and nurses, but without the volume and insurance reimbursement structures typical of land hospitals.
The incident is a reflection of the current state of American healthcare, highlighting the financial burden that treatment places on many individuals. The U.S. spends twice as much as comparable countries on healthcare, driven mostly by higher payments to hospitals and physicians. The bulk of these costs is spent on inpatient and outpatient care, as well as doctor visits and hospital stays.
People are paying more out of pocket for healthcare, and this burden is felt more severely for middle- and low-income individuals. The passenger and his family are frustrated, claiming that getting sick on a cruise should be okay and that the man is facing a huge financial burden.
In light of this, the moral of the story is clear: invest in travel insurance, ensure good health before a trip, and don't go away if one doesn't have health insurance. Many commenters empathized with the family and emphasized the importance of travel insurance, as cruise ship medical charges typically must be paid upfront and billed to the passenger without third-party insurance coverage.
One commenter suggested that a large percentage of people get sick on cruises, and the real message is "don't get sick without insurance." Dr. Atul Grover, executive director of the nonprofit AAMC Research and Action Institute, echoed this sentiment, stating that Americans don't consume a lot more health care than other countries, but pay a lot more for each thing.
In conclusion, the high costs of cruise ship medical care serve as a reminder of the financial burden that healthcare places on many Americans. Pre-travel insurance is highly advisable to avoid finding oneself in a similar situation.
[1] Source: [Link to the original article] [5] Source: [Link to a related article on ER costs]
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