How Was the $30 Billion Cost Calculated?
The $30 billion cost was calculated by multiplying the 600,000 surgeries performed each year in the United States by $50,000, which is the average cost of a bypass surgery. In fact, these figures might be higher if the founders costs are used in the calculation. To illustrate this point, the bill that the founder received from the hospital in Las Vegas for his bypass surgery, angiogram, and 10-day stay (including all the in-hospital procedures), submitted to Medicare and the supplemental insurance company, American Family Insurance, came to about $134,000. When the costs of the in-house care by medical professionals and post-operation visits to various doctors were added to the total, it came to about $150,000. However, this only represents a total bill submitted to insurance companies. At this point, it is not known how much the insurance companies have actually paid.
