Leave that suitcase of cash at home Dad

Enrique was very concerned about figuring out how much - exactly - the surgery would cost. Learning this in advance turns out to be an almost impossible task.

The surgeon's assistant said "I'll send a request to Financial Services - but if we're lucky they'll take a few weeks to get back to us."

It seemed odd that he didn't know it off the top of his head, since they do this surgery several times a week.

For Enrique it was more troubling. In Mexico they won't let you leave the hospital until you pay in full.

His father was planning on coming with several thousand dollars in cash to bail his son out of the hospital -- and needed to know how much to bring.

When we all realized the misunderstanding, the surgeon's assistant laughed.

"You won't even get the bill for about a year. Then there will be a big negotiation, once it's settled, you can just pay a few dollars a month for the rest of your life, if you like."

That was a medium-sized relief for Enrique.

Imagine it taking a year to generate a bill, for a routine surgery that they do multiple times a week! The way we pay for health care in this country is really fucked up.