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Update Date: 2008/12/03 04:34
By Zhang Cuifen / Taipei Report
Because his father had a history of hypertension and was scheduled by the doctor to undergo a cardiac catheterization, it was initially said that the procedure would be covered by health insurance. However, after his father was taken into the operating room, the doctor unexpectedly stated that five stents needed to be installed, with the family having to pay for two of them out of pocket. With his father's life hanging in the balance, the family had no choice but to grit their teeth and agree, ending up spending an additional hundred thousand dollars. Mr. Zhong, 50 years old, becomes furious and curses whenever he mentions this experience of being "skinned" at the hospital.
Many people may have had similar unpleasant experiences as Mr. Zhong, but with their lives in the hands of the doctors, patients become lambs to the slaughter on the operating table.
The Central Health Insurance Bureau stated that cardiac catheterization involves high-cost special materials. For general stents, the insurance covers three per year, with each costing 27,000 yuan. However, if patients opt for the newer drug-eluting stents, they may need to pay the difference, which is about 50,000 to 60,000 yuan per stent. If more than three stents are required, patients must pay the full cost themselves.
In response to public criticism, Huang Ruiren, a physician at National Taiwan University Hospital and secretary-general of the Taiwan Society of Cardiology, stated that before performing a cardiac catheterization, doctors must provide detailed explanations to patients and their families about the choice of stents. It is absolutely not allowed to suddenly demand additional payment during the surgery to switch to more expensive materials. If a doctor engages in such behavior, the public can report it to the relevant authorities.
As for how many stents need to be installed, Huang Ruiren mentioned that it is difficult to predict accurately before the surgery. Preoperative assessments cannot be entirely precise, and doctors can only roughly know how many blood vessels are blocked. However, the severity of the blockage can only be determined during the cardiac catheterization. Some blood vessels may require two or even more stents due to severe blockages. These situations require thorough preoperative communication, and both doctors and patients must build mutual trust to avoid disputes.
Huang Ruiren also noted that whether patients need to spend more on drug-eluting stents depends on factors such as family financial conditions. Patients with diabetes, extremely narrow blood vessels (less than 2.5 millimeters), or those requiring multiple stents in a single blood vessel should consider the risk of re-blockage and may need drug-eluting stents. In other cases, stents covered by health insurance are sufficient.
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 081203/ 4/ 1ahfc. html
Surgical Price Hike at the Last Minute: Who Dares to Refuse?
By Zhang Cuifen / Taipei Report
Because his father had a history of hypertension and was scheduled by the doctor to undergo a cardiac catheterization, it was initially said that the procedure would be covered by health insurance. However, after his father was taken into the operating room, the doctor unexpectedly stated that five stents needed to be installed, with the family having to pay for two of them out of pocket. With his father's life hanging in the balance, the family had no choice but to grit their teeth and agree, ending up spending an additional hundred thousand dollars. Mr. Zhong, 50 years old, becomes furious and curses whenever he mentions this experience of being "skinned" at the hospital.
Many people may have had similar unpleasant experiences as Mr. Zhong, but with their lives in the hands of the doctors, patients become lambs to the slaughter on the operating table.
The Central Health Insurance Bureau stated that cardiac catheterization involves high-cost special materials. For general stents, the insurance covers three per year, with each costing 27,000 yuan. However, if patients opt for the newer drug-eluting stents, they may need to pay the difference, which is about 50,000 to 60,000 yuan per stent. If more than three stents are required, patients must pay the full cost themselves.
In response to public criticism, Huang Ruiren, a physician at National Taiwan University Hospital and secretary-general of the Taiwan Society of Cardiology, stated that before performing a cardiac catheterization, doctors must provide detailed explanations to patients and their families about the choice of stents. It is absolutely not allowed to suddenly demand additional payment during the surgery to switch to more expensive materials. If a doctor engages in such behavior, the public can report it to the relevant authorities.
As for how many stents need to be installed, Huang Ruiren mentioned that it is difficult to predict accurately before the surgery. Preoperative assessments cannot be entirely precise, and doctors can only roughly know how many blood vessels are blocked. However, the severity of the blockage can only be determined during the cardiac catheterization. Some blood vessels may require two or even more stents due to severe blockages. These situations require thorough preoperative communication, and both doctors and patients must build mutual trust to avoid disputes.
Huang Ruiren also noted that whether patients need to spend more on drug-eluting stents depends on factors such as family financial conditions. Patients with diabetes, extremely narrow blood vessels (less than 2.5 millimeters), or those requiring multiple stents in a single blood vessel should consider the risk of re-blockage and may need drug-eluting stents. In other cases, stents covered by health insurance are sufficient.
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 081203/ 4/ 1ahfc. html