# New Jersey hospital charges a teacher nearly $9,000 to bandage his middle finger. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 6, 2014, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-jersey-hospital-charges-a-teacher-nearly-9-000-to-bandage-his-middle-finger/694959 "2014-08-06T17:16:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-jersey-hospital-charges-a-teacher-nearly-9-000-to-bandage-his-middle-finger/694959/101 "2014-08-24T13:54:36Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > My apologies, what does “sectioned” mean here? None of the definitions I find seems to fit. Cesarean section maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-jersey-hospital-charges-a-teacher-nearly-9-000-to-bandage-his-middle-finger/694959/102 "2014-08-24T14:44:07Z")
Mentioning a student who got “sectioned” in a discussion about emergency medical care suggests several rather unpleasant notions. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-jersey-hospital-charges-a-teacher-nearly-9-000-to-bandage-his-middle-finger/694959/103 "2014-08-24T15:30:10Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > My apologies, what does “sectioned” mean here? None of the definitions I find seems to fit. Given the context, in the US it would most likely refer to having someone involuntarily psychiatrically hospitalized because they are an immediate threat to themselves or others. Usually a specific state law (often called something like “section XXX.X” or whatever) permits a person to be held up to 72 hours against their will in these circumstances. But since the writer is clearly in the UK I’m not sure. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-jersey-hospital-charges-a-teacher-nearly-9-000-to-bandage-his-middle-finger/694959/104 "2014-08-24T16:16:30Z")
That’s better. I was thinking “dissected.” ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-jersey-hospital-charges-a-teacher-nearly-9-000-to-bandage-his-middle-finger/694959/105 "2014-08-24T16:35:00Z")
My first thought was Sagittal . ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-jersey-hospital-charges-a-teacher-nearly-9-000-to-bandage-his-middle-finger/694959/106 "2014-08-25T03:27:59Z")
I did go to the ER for a cut on my thumb because it was after hours and I did need stitches. I’m lucky to have insurance that will cover ER visits with a $100 co-pay (waived if you are admitted). The total cost would have been $1400. I was also lucky because it was December 30 – the night before was a huge snowstorm and the night after probably featured a number of drunk people. I think I was there about three hours total. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2014, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-jersey-hospital-charges-a-teacher-nearly-9-000-to-bandage-his-middle-finger/694959/107 "2014-08-26T11:10:15Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Given the context, in the US it would most likely refer to having someone involuntarily psychiatrically hospitalized because they are an immediate threat to themselves or others. Usually a specific state law (often called something like “section XXX.X” or whatever) permits a person to be held up to 72 hours against their will in these circumstances. > > But since the writer is clearly in the UK I’m not sure. It means the same over here in the UK. [Sectioned.](http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/problemsdisorders/beingsectionedengland.aspx) ---
**Author:** ![Timetrvlr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Timetrvlr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timetrvlr)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-jersey-hospital-charges-a-teacher-nearly-9-000-to-bandage-his-middle-finger/694959/108 "2014-08-26T16:45:43Z")
> [@](#): > > New Jersey hospital charges a teacher nearly $9,000 to bandage his middle finger. On a better note, last week I had a CAT scan of my sinus and there was no charge at all. Not exactly free because I have to pay $125.50/month for family health insurance that covers just about everything except dental and a portion of our pharmacy bills. It even covers Emergency Room visits. We find single-payer health insurance in Canada an enormous benefit.😃 ---
**Author:** ![MrsTime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@MrsTime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrsTime)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-jersey-hospital-charges-a-teacher-nearly-9-000-to-bandage-his-middle-finger/694959/109 "2014-08-26T16:55:08Z")
> [@Timetrvlr](#): > > On a better note, last week I had a CAT scan of my sinus and there was no charge at all. Not exactly free because I have to pay $125.50/month for family health insurance that covers just about everything except dental and a portion of our pharmacy bills. It even covers Emergency Room visits. We find single-payer health insurance in Canada an enormous benefit.😃 He didn’t mention the 7 days I spent in ICU a few years ago. 7 days in ICU and another 3 in a regular room. I can’t even begin to guess what it would have cost us in the US especially since neither one of us would have been able to qualify for insurance because of preexisting conditions. Cost to us for that hospitalization , not a penny. Oh and that $125.50 a month covers both of us. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2014, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-jersey-hospital-charges-a-teacher-nearly-9-000-to-bandage-his-middle-finger/694959/110 "2014-08-26T17:07:17Z")
> [@MrsTime](#): > > He didn’t mention the 7 days I spent in ICU a few years ago. 7 days in ICU and another 3 in a regular room. I can’t even begin to guess what it would have cost us in the US especially since neither one of us would have been able to qualify for insurance because of preexisting conditions. Cost to us for that hospitalization , not a penny. > > Oh and that $125.50 a month covers both of us. The “pre-existing conditions” issue is a problem mainly with private insurance. If you are covered by your employer, those conditions are covered, as long as you have not had a gap in coverage, and even if you have had a gap, usually there is a clause that covers you after 12, or 18 months, or something. This is due to some laws passes on the early 1990s. Yes, keeping track of all these things is a pain in the ass. ---
**Author:** ![MrsTime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@MrsTime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrsTime)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2014, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-jersey-hospital-charges-a-teacher-nearly-9-000-to-bandage-his-middle-finger/694959/111 "2014-08-26T17:16:00Z")
We were both retired at the time, and oddly enough we now pay our own insurance, however $125.50 is pretty cheap for 2 people and to cover as much as it does. Never the less when our rates were raised twice during this provincial government we do complain! Most employers here in BC pay the insurance for their employees but not all. ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-jersey-hospital-charges-a-teacher-nearly-9-000-to-bandage-his-middle-finger/694959/112 "2014-08-26T17:51:38Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > If your injury is not life threatening, and your ER is a trauma center, you may well find yourself waiting quite some time – with medical justification, because triage is the name of the game. Maybe you wait 1-2 hours _in the waiting room_ but once they stick you in a bed, how long it takes you to be seen by an actual doctor who can make a diagnosis and a treatment plan is another matter. > > I’ve personally spent 10 hours in the ER at University of Michigan Medical center. I had a soft-tissue injury after falling off a horse – true, I couldn’t walk – but my health was not threatened by the wait, unlike that guy who came in by helicopter with burns on 60% of his body, or the other guy who was homicidal/suicidal. And to be clear those 10 hours weren’t packed with medical attention: the following events happened: 1. they jacked me up on morphine 2. they x-rayed my pelvis and determined it was not broken. That’s about it. I was sent home with crutches and instruction for rest and physical therapy. > > My husband spent so many hours at the same ER for a hockey injury, he watched the nursing shift change twice. I think it was about 12-13 hours. That was average number.So some people more and some people less. May be you going to the big hospitals of 20 to 40 people in the ER than in the old days of a lot of small hospitals and 5 to 15 people in the ER. The big hospitals may have more of the 5 to 9 hour wait. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-jersey-hospital-charges-a-teacher-nearly-9-000-to-bandage-his-middle-finger/694959/113 "2014-08-27T20:12:13Z")
> [@SpeedwayRyan](#): > > These days, ER visits are for serious emergencies. If it’s not life-threatening, you go to an urgent care center. My insurance has reasonable copays for urgent care visits, but the ER visits will cost you. If you’ve waited around for days, why go to the ER instead of an urgent care? Go to the ER when you are bleeding to death, not when you need a few stitches. Exactly. Even if you don’t have any insurance at all, an Urgent Care Center visit will run you about $150 plus special services (shots, etc) in this part of the country. With insurance, you’ll be out a co-pay. What he did is like wanting to grab a bite for lunch and going to the most expensive place in town and then acting shocked when the bill comes and it’s not $4.99. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-jersey-hospital-charges-a-teacher-nearly-9-000-to-bandage-his-middle-finger/694959/114 "2014-08-27T21:43:58Z")
> [@MrsTime](#): > > He didn’t mention the 7 days I spent in ICU a few years ago. 7 days in ICU and another 3 in a regular room. I can’t even begin to guess what it would have cost us in the US especially since neither one of us would have been able to qualify for insurance because of preexisting conditions. Cost to us for that hospitalization , not a penny. > > Oh and that $125.50 a month covers both of us. That’s amazing. My brother was in ICU for a few weeks and it was $100K plus and that was less than I thought it would be. I think he paid some percentage of it, maybe 10%? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-jersey-hospital-charges-a-teacher-nearly-9-000-to-bandage-his-middle-finger/694959.md?page=5)