I hadn't been to my ENT doctor in a couple of years and as is the case with me, ear wax build up happens, impairing my hearing. I've been going to the same doctor for many years and I like and trust him very much. Until today, the average cost for getting my ears cleaned had been around $50. Today, it was $158! As in the past, fifteen minutes was all the time it took to do the job but unlike in the past, the rate has tripled. By the hour, it'd be $632!
I called my doctor's secretary to double check if this was an error -- it wasn't. After a few minutes of me venting, she put me in touch with their billing dept. and I got another 'explanation' for why the rate was as high as it was. Thanks to our messed up health care / insurance system, rates are through the roof. No wonder so many people are screaming about the lack of affordable health care in this country! Universal Health Care system? - add my voice to the chorus.