Sony Jacob Thomas

Review of Hennepin County Medical Center

I went here with a flu and the bill came to $440 (...

I went here with a flu and the bill came to $440 (thank God I had insurance or else it could have been $1100+). This is the first time I have been to a hospital in US and even though I had heard a lot about the exorbitant medical bills here, nothing prepared me for this. I had to be there for 4.5 hours for them to take an X-ray, my temperature, ECG, my and pressure and my diagnosis. In the end I was told I had flu, which I already knew, and I was given Ibuprofen and a cough suppressant which also I already knew I needed. I don't know what I gained out of my visit.. oh yes, my temperature jumped from 99.4 to 101 thanks to the chills I got after having had to wait too long. Back in India, the same treatment would have cost me no more than $20 and I would have been back home in an hour.. and they would have actually cured me! Lesson learnt the hard way..never again!
I can't imagine how people make ends meet in this country if they have to visit a hospital with some serious illness. I love this city and the country, but not its healthcare.