the Cost of Emergency Medical Procedures

I was on vacation with some friends and we were riding go-karts we had rented. We were being careless and my foot was run over by a go-kart. I went to the emergency room. I was treated and had an x-ray of my foot. Two toes were broken but there was no cast as the doctor explained that there wasn't much to be done for broken toes. As I was out of network and the procedure was considered non-emergency by my medical company I had to pay all costs out of pocket. The total for the emergency visit and the x-ray was $1750.

We waited for over 4 hours before we got in to see the doctor. The doctor did a quick check and recommended an x-ray. After another hour he told me that I had two broken bones in my toe but that none were broken in my foot. If I had broken bones in my foot he told me that it would have been worthwhile to have a cast put on. As it was just my toes there wasn't much to be done. He re-bandaged my foot with an ace bandage (which was the same kind of bandage I had on it when I showed up) and charged me quite a bit just to do that.

If you have medical insurance make sure that your ailment is considered an emergency by your care provider or expect to pay out of pocket.