Cure for woman's scorpion sting costs $83K

A giant hairy scorpion is seen at the Phoenix Zoo Aug. 13, 1999. / AP GraphicsBank

(CBS/AP) PHOENIX - An Arizona woman is wondering what hurt more: getting stung by a scorpion or seeing her hospital bill after treatment.

Marcie Edmonds says the bill from Chandler Regional Medical Center was more than $83,000. That includes two doses of anti-venom at nearly $40,000 per dose.

The Arizona Republic says Edmonds' insurer has paid more than $57,000 and the suburban Phoenix hospital is asking Edmonds for the balance of about $25,000.

The 52-year-old Ahwatukee Foothills resident was stung in June while opening a box of air conditioner filters in her garage.

Edmonds says an emergency room doctor told her about the Mexican anti-venom Anascorp that could quickly relieve her symptoms, but she was never told about the cost.

Chandler Regional says Edmonds' bill represents the out-of-network costs for her treatment.

The Food and Drug Administration approved Anascorp for use in treating scorpion-sting patients last summer, CBS Phoenix affiliate KPHO-TV reports. It's the first drug to receive federal approval for that use.

FDA approval was the culmination of a nearly 12-year collaboration of academic and clinical researchers with partners in business and industry from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, KPHO-TV reports.

In Arizona, about 8,000 scorpion stings occur each year, KPHO-TV reports. Several hundred of these result in serious nerve poisoning and require medical treatment. Nearly all of these patients are young children, whose breathing may be severely affected by the effects of the venom, requiring hospitalization.

[MagnaCartaUK]

What happens if you just can't afford it? If the treatment doesn't kill you, the cost may very well do. There's more than one 'sting' involved in this sad tale, (or tail).

[bobnjersey]

[Marcie Edmonds says the bill from Chandler Regional Medical Center was more than $83,000. That includes two doses of anti-venom at nearly $40,000 per dose.]
--------------------------------------------------
this is a perfect example of how the medical business does not operate in a true capitalist supply/demand model.

if it did ... nobody would buy something at $40k per dose ... it would sit on the shelf ... with everyone passing by ... until the price was reduced to what 'the market' would bear.

because people don't make 'discretionary' choices on things related to their health ... or they can't because there's never a price list before the service is offered ... 'market' forces are never at play.

[sepa2]

medical business use fear of illness and death for maximum profit. Fortunately food industry does not hold us hostage with their essential service. If they follow medical business margins, a loaf of bread would cost about 50 bucks.

[averros]

In a capitalist model there will be a dozen competitors trying to get into production of this precious drug - and driving the prices down to cost + some 10-20% profit as a result. No such luck with FDA and the insane patent system working together to keep competition away.

[rwsmith29456]

It's not clear from the article what kind of scorpion it was and I never go by the pictures they use. Was this just a painful sting or was it one of the deadlier varieties? If I knew it was $40 thou a dose I would have sucked the poison out myself. It also doesn't say how long she stayed in the hospital but that amount seems fairly reasonable. I think the doctor just thought, "Hey, I can try out this new stuff!"

[rwsmith29456]

I know about the sucking being outdated, but the idea is that I would rather rely on a cheap fix if it wasn't life threatening.

[TherealSarek]

pay it or get your own anti-venom.

[john92021]

after all we are health care consumers, we should shop around, find a sale, coupons, treat yourself, oh can't do that, don't have a medical license, they'll put me in jail, but then I can have free medical.

[Godsmack4]

Loser. $40,000? Get real.

[EmpireGeorge______--]

by mak75173 September 6, 2012 12:51 PM EDT
this just shows how broken our health care is there is no justification for this a madison which cost $100.00 in Mexico should cost $40,000.00 in USA.
_______

your forgot your madisons today.

[Lindag20]

You the spelling police today George??

[ballwyllo]

This is plain and simple fraud by the hospital and now that they are caught...it is time for them to spin it. This should actually trigger an outside law enforement or FTC investigation into fraud and result in criminal charges. Finally, I am curious to know how many other times has things like this happened and the hospital didn't get caught. Hard to believe they did it only this once and were unlucky to get caught. Last point if they hadn't been so greedy and billed the patient the amount not paid by the insurance company we would of never heard about this. This is a perfect example on many levels of the fraud, waste and abuse within the medical system!

[mollydtt]

Soooo.... I guess the best plan when you are stung by a scorpion is to wait and see. Wait and see if you have breathing problems or severe poisoning, and come back if you need to spend $80,000.
Most people would try to get by without treatment, and perhaps risk death, but an $80,000 bill to me would mean selling my house and being homeless, so I'd take the risk. Who wants to be bankrupt and homeless?

[Lindag20]

So if you roll the dice and "take the risk" and lose, then your heirs will get your house. That pretty much sums up the US healthcare system.

[ExpatCan]

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I was lead to believe that when an insurance company makes a contract with a provider to pay a certain amount for a procedure, drug etc., that the hospital or doctor agrees to that amount. They can not then come back and tell you that you owe the rest. Sounds like they are trying to double-dip. I wouldn't pay it without asking the insurance company their terms.

[john92021]

You must not have a co-pay insurance. You are lucky. If I go get a mole cut off it is $200 cash. If I run it through the insurance my 20% co-pay is $200. Now that's insurance worth paying for.

[formerlyluvnut]

THIS is what is wrong with the healthcare in this country. Greed.

[EmpireGeorge______--]

What's wrong, is clueless libs like you have no clue as to the cost, of extracting venom from Scorpions, and then turning that venom into anti-venom, it's not like an asprin, lib.....do you know how much snake anti-venom costs, which is much more plentiful ??? a lot.....so using everything to promote your socialist welfare.

[bramletabercrombie]

Empire, if they can sell it in Mexico for $100, doesn't that make your argument false and make you a complete tool?

[MarieAnne13]

This is what the government needs to be addressing... the jacked up prices the medical industry passes off on consumers. But no, they just want to profit, too...