Kyras

^Not at 59 years-old.

^Yeah, he just did what he had to do while his adrenaline was high.

Morris

Sorry Patty. I always think everyone is older than me, but at my age I'm really older than almost everybody.

Kyras

He looks older than 59, I think. He uses tanning booths. I know it's a really stupid thing to do but he's in charge of his own life.

I pay Kaiser $710 per month for health insurance. I get my money's worth in my Enbrel shots, alone. The $8,500 I'll have put out this year might cover the cost of his surgery.

Morris

Surely you jest unless he is going to India for surgery. My prostate surgery, with one night in the hospital, was over $50,000. (I paid zero) Setting bones could take a long time = $$$.

Lainey

Hopefully, the docs and hospital (if surgery is needed) will play let's make a deal, since there is no insurance, on pricing. My shoulder surgeries were 30K each, no overnight in the hospital, but of course, that is not what the hospital received. They never get what they charge and will settle for less....of course they have payment plans too.

Speaking of doctor's bills. Rick had some testing recently. Our out of pocket was over $700.00. I barely had the bill in hand for a week and was getting a call, I assume asking how/when we would pay. I had already sent in a payment and have ignored subsequent calls. Seriously? Call someone who doesn't pay their bill. We've never not paid them.

Morris

There was one medical bill I never paid. My Mom was taken to the hospital by ambulance. I hadn't gotten there yet when she was released. The hospital had my number in her file (I was a regular visitor there with my Mom) and was listed as in charge of her health care and all medical decisions. Instead of calling me, they had an ambulance drive her back to her independent living place. The bill was seven hundred plus dollars. A taxi would have been $40, I would have been free. I wrote a letter instead of payment, then I ignored them. After two years they gave up.

Kyras

No joke. I looked it up with one orthopedic group and it was around $9,000 for a clavicle. This could be an outpatient procedure. The clavicle is right under the skin and there's no muscles or guts in the way. I think you're right though when the other assorted costs are included. That was probably only for the doctor and not including surgery but just manual setting.

MsPerky

"Without insurance, diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of a broken collarbone (clavicle) typically costs $500 or less. A clavicle X-ray costs about $210 on average, but some radiology centers charge $1,000 or more. A typical office visit doctor fee for a fracture would be $90 to $200.
Without insurance, surgical treatment typically costs between $11,000 and $17,000 or more. Clavicle fracture surgery costs between $8,562 and $15,021, not including the surgeon's fee. And a typical surgeon's fee for treatment of a fracture could reach $2,000 or more."

Let's hope he can get the non-surgical treatment. Looks like a bad break, though.

Kyras

We escaped the convalescent home. We strolled/rolled on the Huntington Beach Pier. Ricky's clavicle doesn't hurt much, probably because the bone ends aren't touching each other.

Lainey

Out and about, top down in the Honda this weekend. She is sporting snow tires, but it was still fun. It IS nice having two convertibles, one of which is available to drive on that rare November day when it's top down weather. Maybe we'll get a few top down days this winter.

Back at work today.