Letters: UNMH is no longer a good deal for UNM employees

Editor,

It wasn’t that long ago when the decision between going to the University Hospital (UNMH) and some of the other options (Lovelace or Presbyterian) for a UNM employee was a no-brainer: If you had to get major surgery or had a major illness, you went to UNMH, you paid out $150, and that was the end of it.

These days, a UNM employee had better be prepared to pony up 15 percent of the cost of medical procedure, and that can add up to a chunk of change — thousands of dollars or more.

I recently spent a few hours analyzing the actual costs associated with a simple procedure I had recently undergone, and I was shocked to discover that UNMH charged a $6,000 facility fee for spending what amounted to half an hour occupying one of their rooms, and that is in addition to the cost of what the doctor charged for her treatment of my ailment.

Although I truly believe the doctors at UNMH are outstanding, I’m beginning to wonder whether the University Hospital’s bean counters may be taking advantage of their patients and our insurance companies.

To this end, I have requested that my future procedures be done by my primary physician, who does not charge a facility fee. I’m convinced that, in the end, both I and my insurance company will heave a sigh of relief when we get the final bill.

If nothing else, the money I save will pay for the cost of a new set of tires for my 1984 Volvo which, in the end, will probably make everybody in Albuquerque a whole hell of a lot safer.

Sincerely,

Chuck Reuben

UNM employee