http://www.consumerhealthratings.com...ats&cat_id=274
Check out some of these links. Average inpatient room cost per day in 2006 for seniors was over $2700. That's not even counting any operations, any meds, nothing. 10 days in a hospital (fall and broken hip could easily take this long, how common is it?) is $27,000. Add in surgeries at $10k+++++, meds, physical therapy at $100+/hr, and it wouldn't be hard to hit 7 figures in a year.
I have a friend who got hit by a car while walking last year. In and out of the hospital since, PT visits like crazy, 2 surgeries and a lot of medications. Guess his bill? It currently sits at $3.3 million, and he didn't even get any advanced, complicated surgeries, just a couple pretty basic ones.
Do you really think that older people won't rack up massive bills? Its a very real, very serious issue that we'll have to deal with, especially with the Baby Boomers getting up there in age and fewer people paying into the system.