Wuhan Coronavirus: Megathread - Got too big

[George Floyd Sneed]

Shit is crazy, I tell you is it possible the tests are not coming back right?

Realistically it’s out of everybody’s control at this point. We have no idea how many are infected and how many are dying from it. Everything is just random guesses at this point. Chances are millions of people are already infected outside of China.

 

[Iuz]

View attachment 1166612

Actually the testing part is free since the CDC isn't charging for it. Its' everything else the hospital (big surprise) is taking the opportunity to charge you out the wazoo for. Everyone knows that going though a ER applies a charge multiplier of 1000 percent.

Coronavirus testing is free, but the hospital trip may set you back thousands. One graphic breaks down potential costs.

Twenty-seven million Americans are uninsured. A trip to the ER for suspected COVID-19 could set them back thousands.

www.businessinsider.com

Archive: https://archive.ph/jzcIQ

Coronavirus testing is free, but the hospital trip may set you back thousands. One graphic breaks down potential costs.
Hillary Hoffower

4 hours ago

Free coronavirus testing isn't all it appears to be.

A report published Thursday by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) stated that the The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently the only facility equipped to test for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus that broke out in China, or designate other laboratories to do so. The CDC is not billing for testing.

This means if you go to the ER or urgent care for coronavirus treatment, you won't be charged for COVID-19 lab testing. But there are other charges you might have to pay, depending on your insurance plan, or lack thereof. A hospital stay in itself could be costly and you would likely have to pay for tests for other viruses or conditions.

Consider Miami resident Osmel Martinez Azcue, as reported by The Miami Herald's Ben Conarck. He checked himself into the hospital for flu-like symptoms after arriving back in the US from a work trip to China, concerned he had been exposed to the novel coronavirus.

He asked to be first tested for the flu before getting a CT scan to screen for coronavirus because of his limited insurance plan, Conarck wrote. He did have the flu, which meant no further testing for coronavirus, but he told Conarck that the whole hospital visit cost $3,270, according to a notice from his insurance company.


A trip to the ER can set you back thousands
To find out just how much coronavirus-related medical costs could set a patient back financially, Business Insider obtained estimates for average medical costs from healthcare cost database FAIR Health.

In the chart below, FAIR Health provided the average costs for common ER visits, office outpatient visits, and global urgent care visits, to cover possible types of visits one could make to get checked for coronavirus. It also includes average costs for flu and blood tests, which could be run to rule out other conditions or illnesses.

These are possible costs for various suspected coronavirus treatment. The list is not exhaustive. Shayanne Gal/Business Insider
Now, this chart doesn't mean that you'll undergo all indicated procedures if you check into a hospital or visit urgent care with flu-like symptoms — it's just identifying possible procedures that might occur for coronavirus treatment. It's currently unknown what exact procedures would be given to a patient with suspected COVID-19. And, depending on your symptoms, you could have a quick 15-minute visit to urgent care or an urgent visit to the ER — not necessarily both. That is all to say, this list is hypothetical and not exhaustive.

Costs labeled as uninsured or out-of-network are the billed charges you would have to pay if you're one of the 27 million Americans without insurance. That's also the cost you'd pay if you go to a hospital or doctor outside of your insurance network, and if your insurance plan has no out-of-network coverage. Either way, that means you'd have to pay 100% of the price.

Costs labeled as insured are the full fee due to the provider under the insurance plan. If you've met your deductible, you'd need to pay your co-pay or co-insurance, while the insurance plan pays the remaining balance. How much you'd actually pay depends on your insurance plan.


In a hypothetical example, let's say you visit the ER under high severity and threat. You're tested for the flu for both the A virus and B virus, and the doctors also run a CMP blood test.

If you're uninsured, this could collectively cost you $1,295, out-of-pocket. If you have insurance, the full fee could cost $491, and you would only pay a portion if you've met your deductible. If your co-pay was 20% of the fee, it would cost $98.

Again, none of these tests may be run, but many more could also be run. It all comes down to what treatment and what medical coverage you have.

Edit: Word Corrections

 

[MelloYello]

Things are going to get really interesting if it turns out to be transmissible to other animals.
Normally, coronaviridae stick to one species, but this one has already made the jump from bat (?) to humans, so who knows.

Imagine a scenario where the virus can spread via livestock. Meat-packaging plants process thousands of cattle per day.
Blood and guts flowing, ideal circumstances to aerosolize a virus. With illegal immigrant employees, who would certainly get busted upon being quarantined.
Hundreds, if not thousands of illegals, hiding their infection, would be an unmanageable complication.

 

[JoyQ]

I understand why governments worry so much about citizen panic. I wouldn’t trust us either. We are so dramatic.

The dead aren’t even coming back to life. 2/10 boring as fuck

As I sit here in a daze of my humidifier and too much NyQuil I realize now that I am the actual worst. Karma’s a bitch BITCH.

 

[simulated goat]

Actually the testing part is free since the CDC isn't charging for it. Its' everything else the hospital (big surprise) is taking the opportunity to charge you out the wazoo for. Everyone knows that going though a ER applies a charge multiplier of 1000 percent.

Coronavirus testing is free, but the hospital trip may set you back thousands. One graphic breaks down potential costs.

Twenty-seven million Americans are uninsured. A trip to the ER for suspected COVID-19 could set them back thousands.

www.businessinsider.com

Archive: https://archive.ph/jzcIQ



Edit: Word Corrections

Even insured you could be looking at thousands. I'm 'insured' with a 'bronze plan'. If I were to actully use it I'd be paying at least 20% (up to 50%) of whatever and ICU's and ventilators ain't cheap. The 'silver' plan gave you more doc visits, but hospitalization was about the same. With insurance you could still be looking at big bills if you get that sick. (nevermind taking a hit for docs and hospitals that are outside of your plan or not covered)

 

[bippu_as_fuck_ls400]

https://twitter.com/Surgeon_General/status/1233725785283932160 (http://archive.vn/2ta8R)


Am I supposed to believe that the healthcare industry is sourcing PPE from the same stores as the average citizen?

 

[IAmNotAlpharius]

Hello All. It's been quite a long time since I made an update on the Indian subcontinent but it's finally here.
US intelligence agencies are "monitoring" India and Iran for Corona virus cases (iT's JuSt ThE fLu GuIsE), Indian govt told its people to not travel to Italy, Souf Korea and Japan unless its necessary. Corona virus is impacting Indian Shipping. Ships from West Europe use Colombo as a pickup/dropoff point for goods heading to East Asia and goods coming to Europe. Number of empty containers are increasing. Indian cases are currently 4 right now and those 4 were on the Diamond Princess (the cruise ship). I don't know if we are doing more testing but I can say that more and more Indians are becoming germophobes(surprisingly). As for masks and gloves they are still expensive and most pharmacies have stopped selling them to people, reserving them for clinics and hospitals. That's all for now.
*something chris chan related*

Further reading:

Coronavirus hits India's shipping, while empty containers get scarcer - The Loadstar

Coronavirus is beginning to impact shipping operations in the Indian subcontinent. Blanked westbound Asia-North Europe sailings mean export containers out of India that tranship at Colombo are not being picked up. In addition, the widespread closure of automotive component production facilities...

theloadstar.com

Coronavirus update: India doesn't want its people to travel to Korea, Iran, Italy

In addition, people coming from Republic of Korea, Iran and Italy or having such travel history since 10 February may be quarantined for 14 days on arrival to India

www.businesstoday.in

US intelligence agencies monitoring coronavirus concerns about India

Although India has only three confirmed cases of coronavirus, U.S. intelligence agencies are reportedly concerned about how the country would handle an outbreak.

www.washingtonexaminer.com

If India gets hit hard it’ll really throw a wrench in a lot of companies IT departments. Imo that would cause more chaos than the loss of manufacturing in China.

 

[roxitp0w3rwuzdabest420]

Things are going to get really interesting if it turns out to be transmissible to other animals.
Normally, coronaviridae stick to one species, but this one has already made the jump from bat (?) to humans, so who knows.

Imagine a scenario where the virus can spread via livestock. Meat-packaging plants process thousands of cattle per day.
Blood and guts flowing, ideal circumstances to aerosolize a virus. With illegal immigrant employees, who would certainly get busted upon being quarantined.
Hundreds, if not thousands of illegals, hiding their infection, would be an unmanageable complication.

Take this with a grain of salt since I got it from /pol/ but supposedly if it jumps to a certain species of bat in south America mortality rate jumps to 15%. Probably Bullshit but just something to think about when you're trying to fall asleep tonight

 

[Iuz]

Even insured you could be looking at thousands. I'm 'insured' with a 'bronze plan'. If I were to actully use it I'd be paying at least 20% (up to 50%) of whatever and ICU's and ventilators ain't cheap. The 'silver' plan gave you more doc visits, but hospitalization was about the same. With insurance you could still be looking at big bills if you get that sick. (nevermind taking a hit for docs and hospitals that are outside of your plan)

Agreed. Before I switched from a Copay to High Deductible with HSA the co pay alone for a 10 minute ER visit was around 500 regardless of severity while still needing to pay like a quarter of the deductible from what they charged the insurance. Think it was 800 plus another 200 since the doctor charged separate. The assholes once billed upwards of 50 dollars alone for 3 pills of over the counter NSAIDs.

 

[beautiful person]

I had a dream last night that I came down with La Carona. Shit's getting in my head.

 

[737 MAX Stan Account]

Well, how are my fellow flyover country kiwis fairing?

 

[Shield Breaker]

The people who will be screwed are the middle class. The poor just default or file bankruptcy. My sister is the stereotypical ghetto trash and runs to the hospital ER for everything.

 

[Iuz]

All the strong and brave refugees and persyns of colyr who skip out on paying the bills are a huge culprit in getting gouged at the ER. Open borders never work.

It's not just them. The Citizen and legally present folks who use the ER for every conceivably minor thing and demand the highest grade and cost imaging and diagnostic services for a common headache and can't or won't pay add to it. And that's without getting into how providers gouge patients with private insurance to make up for lower non negotiable medicare and medicaid reimbursement rates.

 

[Phalanx]

Its interesting watching how different countries treat their civilians, but I thing @NeoGAF Lurker may be right the government does not know what to do and is accepting that there are so many infected and it just goes from person to person.

Like if masks are doing nothing and most PPE its too hard to quarantine in practise. Self quarantine is clearly not working and temperatures affecting the spread are clearly not working as its starting on Africa. WHO have handled this fucking horrendously, the fact they are not calling it a Pandemic because the political effect on China and the financial truly shows their bias.

The fallout is going to see China fucked quite frankly and a lot of their industry will be moved elsewhere I feel at the end because of investor but also political reasons. Their sheer incompetence has created a fucking recession.

 

[Lord of the Large Pants]

If India gets hit hard it’ll really throw a wrench in a lot of companies IT departments. Imo that would cause more chaos than the loss of manufacturing in China.

You say that, but getting India out of IT would actually be a massive boon to efficiency.

Not even memeing. Completely serious.

 

[Shoggoth]

Interesting report from China

https://archive.is/E1xxz

Jennifer Zeng 曾錚 on Twitter

“Video evidence. In #Wenzhou, factory manager told they must consume 3000 kWh electricity by midnight, as the authorities use electricity usage as a criterion of re-open rate. Even this factory has not re-opened for lack of supply and manpower due to #COVID2019, manager had to...

twitter.com

Video evidence. In #Wenzhou, factory manager told they must consume 3000 kWh electricity by midnight, as the authorities use electricity usage as a criterion of re-open rate. Even this factory has not re-opened for lack of supply and manpower due to #COVID2019, manager had to switch on all the air conditioners and other equipment to ensure they achieve the quota.

Also, some thoughts regarding @Male Idiot 's reports from Hungary and the news from Greece, could the plague + refugee pressure be enough to light up eastern Europe and we'll see a total breakdown of order?

Besides that I wanted to extend my warm thanks to all the Kiwis in this thread. I bought supplies a month ago so the logistics front has been pretty worry free. What I do worry about are my stocks.

Edit: some wording and tagging

 

[Übertroon]

In Norway they just junped up from 6 to 15 diagnosed cases in a day. The train has left the station and is picking up speed.

 

[roxitp0w3rwuzdabest420]

The surgeon general tweeted not to buy mask because they don't work and the healthcare system needs them. The surgeon fucking general is gaslighting the public.

Why can't they just be upfront with us.

"Look, please don't buy mask because if the Dr and nurses get sick no one will be able to take care of you. "

 

[Agent Abe Caprine]

No one is being investigated in Ohio right now.

Coronavirus: No people under investigation in Ohio for virus as more negative tests return

The person has shown symptoms of respiratory illness and has either traveled to China or been in close contact with a person with coronavirus within 14 days of symptoms starting, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

www.whio.com

The title isn't updated in the unfurl. It's supposed to say no people, not 1 person. Get your act together, WHIO.

Corona-Chan doesn't seem too interested in the Great Lakes area. Must not be big on craft beer from the region. Oh well, more for me. Dragon's Milk, anyone?

Edit: Forgot the filter. Yes, Michigan has exceptional dragons they milk beer from.

 

[JosephStalin]

Agreed. Before I switched from a Copay to High Deductible with HSA the co pay alone for a 10 minute ER visit was around 500 regardless of severity while still needing to pay like a quarter of the deductible from what they charged the insurance. Think it was 800 plus another 200 since the doctor charged separate. The assholes once billed upwards of 50 dollars alone for 3 pills of over the counter NSAIDs.

If you want to see what hospitals, least in the USA, charge for what's provided go to their website. Every hospital now has to put their "chargemaster" on line. Will likely come up in a huge Excel file.

Here's a way to see the chargemasters for a bunch of hospitals in the St. Louis area. No, I don't live there.

Hospital Standard Charges | BJC HealthCare

Saw the chargemaster for the hospital I have used. Amazing.

Another thought. Guess there's at least 80,000 infected in China, maybe up to God knows how many more - out of 1.4 billion people. And I guess there's less than 10,000 infected in the rest of the world, or the remaining six billion people. Helps keep things in perspective. Just use common sense and take care of yourself, you should be just fine.