Montana Woman Faces $97,000 Surgery Bill Without Insurance

Deborah Buttgereit, a 60-year-old Montana woman without health insurance, suffered a rare distal humerus fracture after slipping on ice, which required surgery to repair her shattered elbow. Initially, she was given an out-of-pocket estimate of about $50,560 for the outpatient surgery by Bozeman Health, but the final bill for the procedure, which took longer than expected, ballooned to nearly $98,000. This total included over $44,300 for operating room and anesthesia costs and more than $50,000 for medical supplies like screws and plates, although the hospital applied a self-pay discount reducing her charge to roughly $78,400. The injury, painful and immobilizing, typically necessitates surgery involving bone repositioning with plates and screws under anesthesia. Such fractures are uncommon, accounting for only about 2% of adult fractures, and are more prevalent in older adults and children involved in high-contact sports. This case highlights the financial challenges faced by uninsured patients undergoing complex medical procedures.