Ben Ehrenreich's mother, Barbara Ehrenreich, blogs more about his medical care woes, and sheds some light on his girlfriend's "emergency" ankle surgery.

Ehrenreich fils wrote a letter to the head of the hospital where his appendix was removed, and complains, with, no doubt, justification about the high cost of saline solution and flimsy jammies. His insurance paid for most of it, but there's still some $4000 owed to the hospital, and who knows--why not try haggling? (Donna Barstow, commenting on Cathy Seipp's post, points out that he never actually asks for a discount. Wuss.)

But here's the interesting part, when Ehrenreich writes:

A few weeks later, I was doing a little research to find out where to send a friend who had broken her ankle in New Mexico and needed surgery in Los Angeles.

So the girlfriend showed up at an Emergency Room with not much of an emergency, it seems. Her problem isn't mentioned by Ehrenreich mere, leaving us to figure he's not serious about the relationship. (FBLA to GF: Dump him and find a guy who can support a family, or at least a wife with a bad ankle.)

Commentors on Barbara's Blog (that's the name, honest) are divided between the faithful, who demand that the government do something and those who advise shopping around, asking doctors about fees and let the free market decide. Over at the Huff Post, where the blog entry is reposted, the Amen Corner is busy agreeing with each other.

Maybe there's a mother/son book in the works? If so, the girlfriend needs to run, run like the wind, before her entire life gets sucked into their oeuvre .

Earlier:
Ben Ehrenreich Visits ER, Gains Insight into Lives of Brown-Eyed People