VT Digger: Stephen Brill’s new book “Bitter Pill” further elaborates on his Time Magazine article in spring 2013 entitled, “America’s Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us.” Brill explains in detail why hospitals are a big part of the problem. The University of Vermont Medical Center, formerly called Fletcher Allen, offers services at prices that bear little relationship to costs. Heart bypass surgery costs $9,319 in Argentina and an average of $67,583 in the U.S. That’s why medical bills are the biggest cause of bankruptcies in the U.S.
Fletcher Allen Hospital, which calls itself a nonprofit, earned on average 5 percent more than other comparable hospitals in the country. Part of the problem is the high fee-for-service payments to medical specialists and excessive salaries to hospital administrators.
The board of directors recently decided to change the name of the hospital to the University of Vermont Medical Center at a cost of $5.7 million….To read the entire article Click Here.