Economic Informed Consent

This article from Dr. Kevin's blog nails it!   Why we need an economic informed consent   I've been writing for years about the COST of medical intervention and how absolutely impossible it is to get an idea of how much we are going to have to pay for whatever it is that we they want.  Even in the most fancy restaurant, at least one of the menus has a price list on it.  My mechanic informs me of what needs to be done to my vehicle AND how much that will cost.  I ALWAYS find a price tag associated with what I want.  Except with the most costly treatments imaginable at a health care facility.  Why is that?

I believe that even if somebody wanted to have sedation, the extreme cost of allowing its use would dissuade a lot of people.  Hospitals know full well how much the use of this poison costs.  They just don't want to tell you.  The anesthesia nurse is expensive.  The tiers of care are expensive.  Versed opens the door to much much more treatment than the patient wanted.  After all, once you are so drugged up you can't resist, the medical minions claim (as Aaron my crna did) that you consented to more treatment by "NOT OBJECTING."  So the sedation leads to more treatment (expense) than you consented to. 

The above is why I have claimed that I was mugged at the hospital.  Not only did I not get a true informed consent for my person, but I couldn't get an 'economic' informed consent either.  No matter how I begged the thugs ("Thug: a cruel or vicious ruffian, robber, or murderer." Quote from here; Thuggery | Define Thuggery at Dictionary.com) that were responsible for my care to make sure I got the 'no frills' treatment, my words fell on deaf ears.  They could care less if they financially ruined me. 

Giving me Versed without "informed consent" cost me about $15,000 dollars in excessive and unlawful medical treatment at the facility.  Either way, an informed, informed consent for the true nature of what these medical morons wanted to do to me physically and emotionally or an informed, "economic" informed consent about the outrageous EXPENSE of what THEY wanted to do to me, it would have resulted in a cancelled procedure.  That's my right as a patient.  I have no interest whatsoever in what the problems resulting from my cancellation would have been.  We patients are tired of being jacked, robbed, mugged and assaulted by medical care and the self serving cretins who populate those facilities.