Matter of economics as usual.
Initial appointment Max: $3,300
Follow up appointment: Max: $2,000
It is quite expensive, $5,300 max for two appointments without lab fees apparently. How much are lab fees going to be? a couple of $100? or more?
Having said that, we don't know if these costs include such things as:
Brain scans (usually over $1,000).
TILT test (need a cardiologist and team of nurses).
Or are they 'just' blood assays?
What's so sad is that 99% of people with this disease don't have any income of any sort to pay for their care.
If it's 5 grand ($) for the Floridian 'locals', then travelling costs in an ambulance (e.g from west to east of USA) would maybe equal another $10 grand if you need a nurse escort? Certainly if using air ambulance. Probably more like $20-$30,000.
So if you don't have insurance, for someone extremely disabled (bed ridden) who can't use a train/car it would cost $10-15,000
to get there (or more) by road ambulance including staying in a hotel and waiting for a follow up appointment.
That works out about the same for me in the UK to get a road ambulance from UK to Belgium with a paramedic and see Dr Kenny De Meirleir
(Quote was $8,000 travel costs before clinic costs), and that's nothing like the thousands of miles Americans would need to travel from Cali
to Florida. Or Japan to Florida.
As incredible the price looks for this CFS clinic, to be fair to Nancy I think the costs are just the going rate in medicine.
Health care is so expensive, tests are very costly. Even purchasing immune tests online, you can soon spend $2,000.
Doctors over here in UK, if you pay cash - charge up to $400 for 30 mins consultation, patient history, and a letter to say there's nothing wrong. LOL.
And thus we were never given any health care worlwide, CFS was a great way out for not pipointing the cause of our gross disablities.
Psychology is so much cheaper, and removes responsibilty on government agencies to act.
It was inevitable that when private clinics DO act, we're then shocked at the prices that are just way out of our league.
Only the fortunate and priviledged currently get health care for this disease. If I had anything valulabe I'd sell it for cash when the WPI opens it doors in 2010 and we know they're prescribing appropriate medications that no one else can. Which hopefully they will.
Then it's time to blow our wad of monopoly money in a Nevadan Casino to fund the ambulance trip home!
For people in the area, I would imagine Nancy's clinic is very much welcome - albeing rather difficult to get 'into'.