This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
My 92-year-old father has moved in with me. He moved here from Arizona and we needed to get him new doctors. We took him to St. Marks Hospital for a quick review and checkup with his new doctor. The doctor recommended a DTAP inoculation, and my dad agreed to it.
We received the bill today. The shot was $301.11. My wife had that shot the day before and paid $50 — no insurance, no discounts; that was the full price. Dad has Medicare and Tricare, which paid his entire bill. That is to say you and I did.
When we called to confirm the charges and get an explanation of the cost, none could be provided. I'm sure that the vast majority of senior citizens who see their bills are just happy that the bottom line says $0.00 and don't question the costs. But someone should.
I don't know if this is an issue with St. Marks or with Medicare, but it's an issue, and before we start asking the government to oversee even more of the health-care costs of this country we might want it to look over the ones it already handles.
Bob Barr
Salt Lake City