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I don't know if Obamacare is going to make things better or worse, but I have a small rant about how ridiculous healthcare in this country is. In October 2010, I got bit by something(spider?) at work. I was feeling dizzy and went to whatever was nearest. Unfortunately, that was a Kaiser nearby. They did some motor skill tests that consisted of me doing things like raising my hands lol. Then they gave me a Benadryll. After Insurance covered some, I was left with a 550.00 bill. I was upset, but hey, it's the ER, what do I expect. So, I take my lump, pay it off. A year later, today, I get a bill for a balance of 150.00 for the same thing. What's wrong with healthcare in this country? It's sad that you have to think about financial ruin when you should be worried about what is ailing you. Luckily, this is more of a major annoyance than financial ruin. But unfortunately, it makes people think twice before getting care. That's the sad part.
I have found that with some doctors, after all the bills are paid and time passes.... They slip another bill on you that the insurance was never sent... I think they are just trying to get that last drop of blood from the turnip! I question ANY bill they wait forever to send out like a afterthought...
I got one once for $300 that was called a "facility charge" like they were charging me rent for the space I took up while there. LOL!
Healthcare billing is difficult to deal with. My husband broke his wrist on December 30, and so off we went to Urgent Care. Total cash price for 3 xrays, a CD, a splint, and a referral was $170. Last week, we got a bill from the Urgent Care for just over $1,000!! No details, just "pay it".
Uh, no. Called them up, and they're adjusting it off. No money owed.
Welcome to the joys of medical billing. The insurance companies fight to pay as little as possible, and facilities fight to get as much as possible. Once they negotiate it to where it is too much trouble to squeeze any more, they flip it to the patient. Each employs analysts, coders, and auditors to make sure they get the best benefit possible paid for by their patients.
Just think, with Universal Health Care like most of the rest of the world has this isn't an issue for the majority of the population. Administrative overhead is less then a third (http://masscare.org/health-care-costs/overhead-costs-of-health-care/ - broken link) of what it is here just at private insurance providers, let alone the facilities where patients get care to maximize reimbursement.
Oh, but that would be evil socialism...so we bleed our own wallets and let them deny care to people considered "undeserving."
Welcome to the joys of medical billing. The insurance companies fight to pay as little as possible, and facilities fight to get as much as possible. Once they negotiate it to where it is too much trouble to squeeze any more, they flip it to the patient. Each employs analysts, coders, and auditors to make sure they get the best benefit possible paid for by their patients.
Just think, with Universal Health Care like most of the rest of the world has this isn't an issue for the majority of the population. Administrative overhead is less then a third (http://masscare.org/health-care-costs/overhead-costs-of-health-care/ - broken link) of what it is here just at private insurance providers, let alone the facilities where patients get care to maximize reimbursement.
Oh, but that would be evil socialism...so we bleed our own wallets and let them deny care to people considered "undeserving."
And the funny thing is, once upon a time it wasn't like this.
You paid doctor costs out of pocket, prescriptions out of pocket and insurance was only used for hospital visits and it was 80/20 until you met your deductible.
Fast forward to today..the insurance industry has taken over healthcare and you cannot do anything now without having insurance. IMHO it's a corrupt racket. A hospital bill of $3K gets reduced to $600 because your insurance company "negotiated" with the hospital ? But if you don't have insurance you're stuck with the $3K ?
What we're really buying here is protection against price gauging.
I don't know if Obamacare is going to make things better or worse, but I have a small rant about how ridiculous healthcare in this country is. In October 2010, I got bit by something(spider?) at work. I was feeling dizzy and went to whatever was nearest. Unfortunately, that was a Kaiser nearby. They did some motor skill tests that consisted of me doing things like raising my hands lol. Then they gave me a Benadryll. After Insurance covered some, I was left with a 550.00 bill. I was upset, but hey, it's the ER, what do I expect. So, I take my lump, pay it off. A year later, today, I get a bill for a balance of 150.00 for the same thing. What's wrong with healthcare in this country? It's sad that you have to think about financial ruin when you should be worried about what is ailing you. Luckily, this is more of a major annoyance than financial ruin. But unfortunately, it makes people think twice before getting care. That's the sad part.
Thinking twice before getting care is a good thing. This is why we don't wait months for an appointment like they do in Canada. People with minor ailments don't need to be wasting the time of medical professionals.
Of course, that doesn't mean you need to pay $550 for an aspirin and a 10 minute exam. I mean, I do see your point. But people do need to think twice before getting care. There aren't unlimited medical resources to see everyone who has a headache or a runny nose.
Welcome to the joys of medical billing. The insurance companies fight to pay as little as possible, and facilities fight to get as much as possible. Once they negotiate it to where it is too much trouble to squeeze any more, they flip it to the patient. Each employs analysts, coders, and auditors to make sure they get the best benefit possible paid for by their patients.
Just think, with Universal Health Care like most of the rest of the world has this isn't an issue for the majority of the population. Administrative overhead is less then a third (http://masscare.org/health-care-costs/overhead-costs-of-health-care/ - broken link) of what it is here just at private insurance providers, let alone the facilities where patients get care to maximize reimbursement.
Oh, but that would be evil socialism...so we bleed our own wallets and let them deny care to people considered "undeserving."
This^
I work in this quagmire and the waste of processing and reprocessing claims is ridiculous. Depending on what you have done, you have multiple parties (facility, doctors, and techs) sending their own bills to be paid. Then primary coverage, secondary coverage or even tertiary coverages trying to pay the least they can get away with.
The contracts alone are a convoluted mess resulting in incorrect payments then the insurer will come back sometimes a year later and reprocess claims because they were paid incorrectly, meaning where the patient owed 20 dollars today may have owe 40 dollars months down the road. The providers quite often write off up to 70% of charges due to the contracts. WASTE! Both private and government plans!
This alone supports the argument for a single payer system.
Thinking twice before getting care is a good thing. This is why we don't wait months for an appointment like they do in Canada.
Wow talk about a misleading statement. I am Canadian and have friends in various provinces. In all my years I have never heard of anyone waiting months for an appointment - NEVER!
A friend told me last week he needed an MRI, it was scheduled the next morning. When I needed an ultrasound, it was scheduled 3 hours after I left my family doctor. Relatives needed radiation/chemo for cancer treatment had them begin within 24 hrs.
Stop listening to the healthcare lobbies lies about the Canadian system and start talking to Canadians. They wouldn't trade it for the U.S. system for no amount of money.
Wow talk about a misleading statement. I am Canadian and have friends in various provinces. In all my years I have never heard of anyone waiting months for an appointment - NEVER!
A friend told me last week he needed an MRI, it was scheduled the next morning. When I needed an ultrasound, it was scheduled 3 hours after I left my family doctor. Relatives needed radiation/chemo for cancer treatment had them begin within 24 hrs.
Stop listening to the healthcare lobbies lies about the Canadian system and start talking to Canadians. They wouldn't trade it for the U.S. system for no amount of money.
Every one I know that is Canadian is quite happy with their health care and wouldn't give it up for any thing. People in the US try to use the scare tactics with no back up.
My daughter has a zero copay for the hospital but they insist that I owe them $125.00 but can't tell me why.
My husband was in the hospital for 4 days and I got the bill today for $24,000+. They sent him home only for him to go back a day and a half latter and he has been in ICU since 2/9. I can't wait to get that bill for all you people that say just self pay.
Insurance in this country is a very expensive joke.
I don't know if Obamacare is going to make things better or worse, but I have a small rant about how ridiculous healthcare in this country is. In October 2010, I got bit by something(spider?) at work. I was feeling dizzy and went to whatever was nearest. Unfortunately, that was a Kaiser nearby. They did some motor skill tests that consisted of me doing things like raising my hands lol. Then they gave me a Benadryll. After Insurance covered some, I was left with a 550.00 bill. I was upset, but hey, it's the ER, what do I expect. So, I take my lump, pay it off. A year later, today, I get a bill for a balance of 150.00 for the same thing. What's wrong with healthcare in this country? It's sad that you have to think about financial ruin when you should be worried about what is ailing you. Luckily, this is more of a major annoyance than financial ruin. But unfortunately, it makes people think twice before getting care. That's the sad part.
Huh? Did they send you a wrong bill? Did you bother picking up the phone or did you just figure that coming on the internet to whine about it would be better?
I mean, my cable bill wasn't accurate once, does that mean that I should make posts about cable being a JOKE? Also, why didn't you go to your family doctor?
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