Healthcare Reform

[Sw]

I do have a definate understanding of the fact that that we have a problem with our current system. My son got a fairly small but deep cut on his finger last month. I took him to the emergency room to get a few stitches. We ended up seeing a dowcor for about five minutes. He put some peroxide on it and glued it instead of stitching. Total time in the E.R.(not counting waiting room) about thirty minutes.
Bills for the episode
The contract doctor $600.00
The hospital bill $1700.00

Knowing this is nuts, Priceless!

[LookingForResults]

I do have a definate understanding of the fact that that we have a problem with our current system. My son got a fairly small but deep cut on his finger last month. I took him to the emergency room to get a few stitches. We ended up seeing a dowcor for about five minutes. He put some peroxide on it and glued it instead of stitching. Total time in the E.R.(not counting waiting room) about thirty minutes.
Bills for the episode
The contract doctor $600.00
The hospital bill $1700.00

Knowing this is nuts, Priceless!

But the hospital will take whatever your insurance will pay and the hospital will write off the rest. It's a stupid game, but you don't get nailed - just shocked by the face amount of the bill.

[TYLERTECHSAS]

I do have a definate understanding of the fact that that we have a problem with our current system. My son got a fairly small but deep cut on his finger last month. I took him to the emergency room to get a few stitches. We ended up seeing a dowcor for about five minutes. He put some peroxide on it and glued it instead of stitching. Total time in the E.R.(not counting waiting room) about thirty minutes.
Bills for the episode
The contract doctor $600.00
The hospital bill $1700.00

Knowing this is nuts, Priceless!

There's your problem. You know what they call the last in his class at Dowcors School? That's right a Dowcor. And probably an lsu degreed Dowcor at that I bet.

[Dawgmatic]

How about this. My son broke his wrist. He has no insurance. A trip to the ER and several trips to the ortho and Voila. $6,000 later he is cured.

[TYLERTECHSAS]

How about this. My son broke his wrist. He has no insurance. A trip to the ER and several trips to the ortho and Voila. $6,000 later he is cured.

Benny Hinn??

[Dawgmatic]

Benny Hinn??

I wish I had thought of that. We went the traditional route. Benny would have been cheaper. :bigcry:

[FishingBack]

The best healthcare costs a lot but people thinks it falls out of the sky.

[FishingBack]

The best healthcare costs a lot but people thinks it falls out of the sky.

Also, the healthcare bill doesn't address costs.....maddening.

[DogsWin]

How about this. My son broke his wrist. He has no insurance. A trip to the ER and several trips to the ortho and Voila. $6,000 later he is cured.

Here's another one for ya- straight from my soap box. Look up the term "balance billing". This happens when doctors,... have billed all that the insurance co. will cover and then add an additional "balance" bill directly to the patient.

Two years ago (Thanksgiving Day morning) I went to my local in-network hospital ER with severe stomach pain. I had arguably the best insurance available in Texas (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas) via my employer.

The ER doctor on call said that I needed immediate gall bladder removal and that there was no time to plan the surgery otherwise. I was in the hospital for 1.5 days for a routine GB removal and when I left I had paid every one of my bills (or so I thought).

Four months later I learned that the doctor (and his 2nd doctor [not an assistant]whom I never met or ever saw), the anesthesiologist, x-ray lab tech were not in Texas' largest insurance provider's network (for ER care). However, all of them were in the BCBS-TX network for planned surgeries with their regular patients. These physicians refused to be "in network" for emergency care because they could bill at whatever they thought their ER services were worth. The hospital and ER physicians had an agreement for exclusive rights to provide emergency care for all ER surgeries on a particular day of the week. These physicans billed my insurance at the out-of-network rate, then additionally billed me.

The entire bill was ~$49,993. of which, $12K+ was "balance billed" directly to me. I eventually negotiated this down with each entity to ~50% payment. Regardless of your thoughts on socialized/privatized medicine,... when a routine gall bladder removal costs $50K simply because it was an emergency- the system is grossly broken!

And yes, I wrote the Texas AG, wrote three state senators,... None of them cared! The AG already ruled several years ago that he has no authority over doctors to establish fair market fees.

"Balance billing" for emergency care is illegal in California and some other states. A bill has been started every year since 2002 to make it illegal in Texas as well. However, each year the bill dies in committee. If you look at the committee members for each year you'll see that they are the same politicians who just rotate the committee chairman's position.

Do you know what the #1 cause of personal bankruptcy in the U.S. is? It is medical costs.
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/...064_666715.htm

Hopefully the day will come when people with excellent insurance can go to an in-network ER and get treated fairly without being fleeced financially.

[Dawgmatic]

What I find interesting is that I was able to negotiate with them as well to reduce the bill if we paid the balance. It amazed me what they could write off. If they could do that then why the hell didn't they just bill that amount to begin with? It's all a big rip off.

[duckbillplatty]

Hell yeah, there's a need for reform. But true story is that... thanks to Obamacare, I'm losing my coverage this summer.

[student0003]

Hell yeah, there's a need for reform. But true story is that... thanks to Obamacare, I'm losing my coverage this summer.

You are so full of it.

[duckbillplatty]

You are so full of it.

I am employed at an institution of higher learning that offers subsidized health insurance to students. Since I am also employed there, the insurance coverage I receive as a student no longer reaches the minimum standards of health insurance for employees. So to reduce cost, they decided to drop the subsidized insurance plans to students who also work full time unless they change their employment. There are some situations where people are both full-time students and full-time employees... Not supposed to happen, but it does. The thing is that the jobs tend to be very conducive to schoolwork. So I don't want to change my employment since I like my job. So I now have to buy health insurance at a higher cost out of pocket.

Oh yeah. I have no reason to lie and you don't know me well enough to accuse me of such... I am not an anonymous user and you are. So suck it. Anything else you want to call me on? I would be happy to further reduce your credibility as a cognizant being.

[saltydawg]

I have no complaints about Tricare.

[hookdown]

I have no complaints about Tricare.

I have heard a lot of people complain about it, glad it is working for you. I take it that you are a vet?