What exactly are medical bills paying for anyway? Not information security apparently.

[ck4829]

You're e-begging on GoFundMe for relief from them, you're taking on debt because of them, you're getting your wages garnished because of them, they dwarf the ones in other countries, you're afraid to use our healthcare system because of them, and you're going into bankruptcy because of them.

But what exactly do medical bills pay for?

A powerful information security system that is the envy of the world and you can rest easy knowing that your medical and/or financial data is safe from hackers and breaches, right?

Well... not exactly.

Our healthcare data breach statistics clearly show there has been an upward trend in data breaches over the past 14 years, with 2021 seeing more data breaches reported than any other year since records first started being published by OCR.

Data breaches increased once again in 2022, with OCR receiving reports of 720 data breaches of 500 or more records. There was no letup in cyberattacks on healthcare organizations in 2023, which set two new records – The most reported data breaches and the most breached records. In 2023, 725 data breaches were reported to OCR and across those breaches, more than 133 million records were exposed or impermissibly disclosed.

https://www.hipaajournal.com/healthcare-data-breach-statistics/

So again, what exactly are medical bills paying for anyway?

[SARose]

1. I don't understand what you are asking

Which medical bills? Doctors? Specialists? Hospital bills?

Doctors office - keeps the lights on; pays for staff, water, sewer, etc.

Specialists - see above plus med student training and specialized equipment, tests, etc

Hospitals - see above plus resident and fellow training, MRI machines, robotic surgery systems, proton therapy systems, IT and network security, pharmaceutical staff, and equipment, phlebotomy staff and equipment, radiology staff and equipment and much much more.

All of this is currently paid for by indivduals, state and county hospitals, private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, federal grants and donors.

Hope this helps.

[ck4829]

2. Rhetorical question. We pay more and get less. What's up with that?

Where's that money going? Not life expectancy, that's for sure.