Family member got a colonocsopy. It took all of 40 minutes and the final bill is $5k. If this isn't the poster child for the need for healthcare reform please show me.
Are you fucking kidding me? $5k for a colonoscopy?
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And that's probably just the endoscopy lab/hospital charge. The doctors charge about $1700 - $2200 per procedure. If polyps are removed, then there are more charges for sutures, etc. whatever is needed.
The interesting thing is that when the bill is sent to the insurance company, they will only get about 1/2 to 1/3 of the charge. The rest is written off. If someone did not have insurance, they would be responsible for the entire $5K. I agree, something needs to be done, but I don't have the answers, and I don't believe the government should get into the health insurance (but I also don't want government run insurance either).
On the other hand, there is no amount of money to make me want to push a hose up somebody's rear end.
The interesting thing is that when the bill is sent to the insurance company, they will only get about 1/2 to 1/3 of the charge. The rest is written off. If someone did not have insurance, they would be responsible for the entire $5K. I agree, something needs to be done, but I don't have the answers, and I don't believe the government should get into the health insurance (but I also don't want government run insurance either).
On the other hand, there is no amount of money to make me want to push a hose up somebody's rear end.
SPN said people that don't have insurance don't pay the whole amount, which is total bullshit. Well, they don't pay it that's true but the hospital still holds them responsible for it and ruins their credit. It's a scam, pure and simple. So the truth is the people that can most afford it, people with insurance, pay the least.
Insanity people that's all this is.
Insanity people that's all this is.
True statement. I used to work with a lady whose husband had a heart attack and went to the hospital. He had to have bypass surgery and by the time everything was finished the bill was over $120K. Then he died 2 months after that. No insurance and a house worth maybe $90K. The hospital put a lien on the house. She basically had nothing, so ended up moving and let the house go into foreclosure. And this was in the late 80's.
I would probably do the same thing. Let the hospital fight it out with the bank and walk away and start over.
These stories are exactly the reason for reform. I just don't understand how anyone can be against it. A heart attack should never be the reason for bankruptcy or losing a home.
We need insurance reform - not a costly federal takeover of the health care system.
Medicare works better than private insurance, I'm sure a similar system can work for the rest of us better than private insurance.
The only reason Medicare works to the degree it does it because those paying for private insurance in effect subsidize it. Physicians could not survive on Medicare reimbursements alone, and many are dropping Medicare patients. That is why even though Congress factors in Medicare cuts for physicians they never actually follow through and further cut physician reimbursement - they know there would be a revolt.
The same case exists with pharma products and Medicaid. If all reimbursement was at Medicaid levels there would not be any profits. The only reason companies can cut their prices to the level they do Medicaid is because they have private paying patients that pay higher costs.
In reality Medicare does not work that well. There is no incentive for physicians to keep patients healthy and no incentive for patients to shop around. Government price fixing will really screw up the health system. Physicians will drop out, there will be less research and quality will suffer. We need to increase the individual's responsibility and accountability for good health. They should be consumers - not passive participants in a government run system.
We need to make changes to the system - but Congress is moving in the wrong direction.
Total bullshit. Been in pharma 12 years, never seen a doc drop either Medicaid or Medicare.
You don't live in the South, then. I have several HOSPITALS who will not accept the Medicaid HMO's and those hospitals own the practices.
There are cash only clinics sprouting up all over the place. For $120 you can get a physical, including minor bloodwork.
You are either clueless or living in BFA. No wonder Pharma is firing so many reps.
Insurance is paying a little over 2k but that's the point. If you don't have insurance you're responsible for the whole 5k which is ridiculous.
Most providers will give a discount when they know you do not have insurance and are actually paying out of pocket. You need to shop around.
The 5K would be the rate they try to charge insurance (like a Hotel Rack Rate - which no one evers pays, unless it is the last room in the house). They always ask for alot more then they know they will probably get.
You are incorrect. If you do not have insurance, you will be charged full price. Period. Same thing with prescriptions.
I had to have a prescription filled for Augmentin XR 2 tables 2x/day. 14 days worth. For some reason, the insurance information was incorrect. They told me the total was $250.00. Since I needed it, I went ahead and paid for it and figured I would check with HR where I worked. Sure enough, it had been dropped - but was back by the end of the day. So I go back to the pharmacy and they credit me the entire $250.00. Then they run the script again and my cost dropped to $20 copay (which is fine with me); the kicker is the total cost of the script on the new copy was $187.00.
Now I'm no genius but it's pretty obvious everybody tries to cash in on non-insured people.
I used to work in billing in the ER at a hospital and it's true, we held non-insured responsible for the entire amount of a bill. That's the reason most never pay a dime, I had many say they can't afford it. After 6 months or a year when it's already on their credit file, sometimes we try to "settle" for a lesser amount and lots of them will say if we offered them this deal before we had destroyed their credit they would try to do it but now that we ruined their credit, there was no incentive for them to pay so they won't pay a dime. I used to bitch to administrators that we need to offer settlements before we go for the credit file and of course no one listened and of course we were rarely paid.
I hate to say this but if you don't have insurance but must go to the hospital, don't bring ID, don't give your correct information if you can't pay them. Some patients have already figured this out and then we for sure never got a penny.
I hate to say this but if you don't have insurance but must go to the hospital, don't bring ID, don't give your correct information if you can't pay them. Some patients have already figured this out and then we for sure never got a penny.
I hate to say this but if you don't have insurance but must go to the hospital said:
SHAZAM!!!! I never thought of that.
My luck would be one of the nurses would recognize me, though.
My luck would be one of the nurses would recognize me, though.
There is a poster on the political board named SPN, she swears this doesn't happen. Please tell her that it does.