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Medical Billing

pawz
pawz Member, Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 22,515 Founders Club
Last September I unfortunately had to make a trip to the ER. At the chagrin of some here, I lived. Sorry, not sorry. Relatively speaking it was a minor issue.

But for the 10 minutes total I spent w/ an ER physician (not counting the hospital bill), I was billed $630.

My insurance gets involved and that bill drops to $220.

How the fuck does that happen?!



Clearly the actual price for services rendered is $220. Had I not had insurance (read: poor) I would have been stuck paying $630.

In ANY OTHER profession a billing practice like this would be criminal.



Fuck Obamacare or any other bullshit brought forward by Congress recently. Until there is clarity, transparency and recourse for the common bloke, our system is fucked.


How have we arrived at a point where this is OK?!

Having insurance is nice, but it does not-a-fucking-thing to control costs.



I'm all for free-market economies, but the market needs to be fundamentally reorganized so that the providers compete for patients. There's plenty of fucking patients.

Hell, the little-bit-o'-liberal in me would entertain the idea of tax dollars paying for health care; if the providers competed for the business.



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Comments

  • Kaepsknee
    Kaepsknee Member Posts: 14,919
    pawz said:

    Last September I unfortunately had to make a trip to the ER. At the chagrin of some here, I lived. Sorry, not sorry. Relatively speaking it was a minor issue.

    But for the 10 minutes total I spent w/ an ER physician (not counting the hospital bill), I was billed $630.

    My insurance gets involved and that bill drops to $220.

    How the fuck does that happen?!



    Clearly the actual price for services rendered is $220. Had I not had insurance (read: poor) I would have been stuck paying $630.

    In ANY OTHER profession a billing practice like this would be criminal.



    Fuck Obamacare or any other bullshit brought forward by Congress recently. Until there is clarity, transparency and recourse for the common bloke, our system is fucked.


    How have we arrived at a point where this is OK?!

    Having insurance is nice, but it does not-a-fucking-thing to control costs.



    I'm all for free-market economies, but the market needs to be fundamentally reorganized so that the providers compete for patients. There's plenty of fucking patients.

    Hell, the little-bit-o'-liberal in me would entertain the idea of tax dollars paying for health care; if the providers competed for the business.



    Actually if you didn't have insurance, you would have ended paying around the $220 you paid out anyway.

    But how are we getting screwed by providers and insurance companies??????
  • UW_Doog_Bot
    UW_Doog_Bot Member, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 18,625 Founders Club
    It works like this in all kinds of sectors of the market. Do you think Walmart pays the same rate for services that you do? Of course not. Hell, providers give you different rates based on your own subscription level. ex."Buy 1 full price or buy 2 and the 3rd is 50% off". Imagine the kind of rate you would get if you agreed to buy 100,000 of something. That's what insurers are doing.

    Prices can be very discriminatory in a free market.

  • Baphomet
    Baphomet Member Posts: 1,511



    Prices can be very discriminatory in a free market.

    What do free markets have to do with the US?
  • UW_Doog_Bot
    UW_Doog_Bot Member, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 18,625 Founders Club
    Baphomet said:

    News flash, these issues existed well before Obamacare.

    And if we had single payer healthcare, a professional bill reviewer would be in charge of making sure none of this BS was happening.

    Just like they make sure that our airforce isn't paying $5000 per hammer.

    Lol, you haven't ever worked for a military supplier have you?
  • Baphomet
    Baphomet Member Posts: 1,511

    Baphomet said:

    News flash, these issues existed well before Obamacare.

    And if we had single payer healthcare, a professional bill reviewer would be in charge of making sure none of this BS was happening.

    Just like they make sure that our airforce isn't paying $5000 per hammer.

    Lol, you haven't ever worked for a military supplier have you?
    That was the joke
  • UW_Doog_Bot
    UW_Doog_Bot Member, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 18,625 Founders Club
    Baphomet said:

    Baphomet said:

    News flash, these issues existed well before Obamacare.

    And if we had single payer healthcare, a professional bill reviewer would be in charge of making sure none of this BS was happening.

    Just like they make sure that our airforce isn't paying $5000 per hammer.

    Lol, you haven't ever worked for a military supplier have you?
    That was the joke
    Whoosh on me then. I'm used to Honda in the tug.

  • 2001400ex
    2001400ex Member Posts: 29,457

    Baphomet said:

    Baphomet said:

    News flash, these issues existed well before Obamacare.

    And if we had single payer healthcare, a professional bill reviewer would be in charge of making sure none of this BS was happening.

    Just like they make sure that our airforce isn't paying $5000 per hammer.

    Lol, you haven't ever worked for a military supplier have you?
    That was the joke
    Whoosh on me then. I'm used to Honda in the tug.

    You don't see my wwoooooossshhhhh.

    HTH
  • 2001400ex
    2001400ex Member Posts: 29,457
    pawz said:

    Last September I unfortunately had to make a trip to the ER. At the chagrin of some here, I lived. Sorry, not sorry. Relatively speaking it was a minor issue.

    But for the 10 minutes total I spent w/ an ER physician (not counting the hospital bill), I was billed $630.

    My insurance gets involved and that bill drops to $220.

    How the fuck does that happen?!



    Clearly the actual price for services rendered is $220. Had I not had insurance (read: poor) I would have been stuck paying $630.

    In ANY OTHER profession a billing practice like this would be criminal.



    Fuck Obamacare or any other bullshit brought forward by Congress recently. Until there is clarity, transparency and recourse for the common bloke, our system is fucked.


    How have we arrived at a point where this is OK?!

    Having insurance is nice, but it does not-a-fucking-thing to control costs.



    I'm all for free-market economies, but the market needs to be fundamentally reorganized so that the providers compete for patients. There's plenty of fucking patients.

    Hell, the little-bit-o'-liberal in me would entertain the idea of tax dollars paying for health care; if the providers competed for the business.



    That's 2 arguments we are on the same side of today. I have even been fucked by an ER over a 3 minute ordeal too.

    What a cool day man.
  • Pitchfork51
    Pitchfork51 Member Posts: 27,691
    I was there for like an hour and had to pay soemthing like 1200

    wtf