Back to health insurance...

I have no idea what you're asking as it relates to the discussion, you'll have to ask the entire question you want to ask.

 

Only partially true. Doctors, hospitals etc aren't required to accept medicare so they can avoid being crushed...of course the pool of clients is smaller too.

 

Did they get rid of the requirement to buy it in the new tax bill like they wanted ?

 

I was just about to post the same thing. I believe they did.

 

I could have told you that for free.

 

Yeah, I know how you get when you're determined to ride a dumb idea to the end because: emotion. So I stayed away.

 

Dammit! I might just have to get behind this.

 

Damn straight. When I take my dog to the vet, one of the first things THEY bring up is the price of the procedure. When I go to the doctor, they flat out won't tell you. In fact, they usually have contracted with a third party company to go over my charts and figure out the absolute MOST they can charge me and my insurance by law. Saying it's fucked up is the understatement of the year.

 

That's why I sorta liked not having insurance the last year I had my business.

After talking to the doc and telling him I was paying cash . He would find the prices of what I needed before he even talked to me about tests, medication etc....

It definitely made me more aware of the cost and in some cases made me a better consumer.

 

My MRI on insurance: $3,850
The self paid MRI that I got: $995

 

That’s criminal

 

++++ In addition they should require the billing to be written in plain english. No more codes, 5 different columns of who pays what ending up with what you owe. This scheme is how the "non-profits" hide their income. Oh! We didn't make a profit because we charged $10,000 but the insurance only covered $2,000 so we "lost" $8,000"! Meanwhile they are building Taj Mahal hospitals like there's no tomorrow.

Foe example, I recently got a billing for my Mom. The Podtritrist (sp?) charged $2300 for clipping her toe nails. Insurance covered $237 and the bill was satisfied. Wanna bet the Doc took a tax deduction for the remainder?

 

I've seen a couple articles about some docs that have started a no insurance, cash only hospital with all the pricing on a chart on the wall. can't remember where, I think Iowa , middle of the country ish anyway. Use google if you care. It was becoming quite successful and others were in the works I think. Health care without all the bullshit.

 

Fixified.

I always use this example in my benefits meetings as a perk for a new audit firm we worked with. They would pay cost + 12%. This was a real life example from a hospital down in Chicago. MRI bill - $7000. Insurance agreed rate - $3500. Actual cost to perform - $432. Audit firm would pay $483. Don’t like it? Take us to court and prove why you should get more than a guaranteed 12% profit. Since 2007, they’d never lost.

This is/has been my biggest issue with ACA. It never even attempted to address the real issue behind medical ... the costs. It simply forced everyone into bed together so the insurance companies and med providers can rape us easier.

 

That shit will be the end of us one day. It's just not sustainable. You think the housing market crash was bad, wait until healthcare goes bust. It's TRILLIONS of dollars annually.

 

Was the upper figure what the insurance paid OR what they were billed???

It's always been my understanding that it's part of the game those two play. Healthcare facilities KNOW insurance companies are going to undercut their bill so they inflate it accordingly. It's ALL BS and it needs to stop. Government (both sides) had how many yrs to fix it??? And yet here we are still. Hoping the Donald can simplify that sooner than later.