Another Cause of Financial Death

We're gonna be seeing more of this...

From the article's side bar:

Here are the line-item charges from Santa Barbara Hematology and Oncology for Kathleen Aldrich's final round of chemotherapy over two days in the spring of 2005. Carboplatin and Docotaxel are the main anti-cancer drugs; Neulasta is given to help boost white blood cells destroyed by chemo.

April 28
Office visit: $166.56
Chemo infusion: $446.72
Chemo infusion: $104.96
Carboplatin: $3,867.50
Docotaxel: $5,726.56
Infusion: $240.56
Dexamethanose: $40.00
Kytril: $320.00
Benadryl: $4.83
Saline: $60.00

April 29
Office visit: $43.44
Injection: $50.00
Neulasta: $5,700.00

Total: $16,771.73

Source: Santa Barbara Hematology's account statement as filed in Santa Barbara County Superior Court.

When I read this, I wondered, who's a "fault" here? The doctor's office? The insurer? The patient?

But I could not help to note the prices of a single dose of the drugs administered to this patient...

-Wes