Quote:
Originally Posted by blueash
Balance billing is when the doctor has a charge, say 1000, and the insurance only allows 500, but instead of writing off that 500 the doctor bills the patient for the amount not covered by insurance. Sort of how most dental coverage now works. We have all seen those blood test bills of 800 fee and the insurance allows 27 and somehow makes a profit while writing off the 773.
Should this system be eliminated specifically for Medicare patients? The idea is that perhaps more doctors will accept Medicare if they can bill and collect whatever they charge, some from Medicare and the rest from the patient. This might incentivize some doctors to come to our area as taking care of Medicare patients will result in much higher income than taking care of the rest of the population where there are write offs on the insured and non-collection on the uninsured.
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We just recently turned old enough to get onto medicare.
Frankly while some of you complain, private healthcare insurance cost us roughly twice what medicare costs.
Our entire system of medical payment is insane.
What other field doe the government and insurance companies tell you what you will be paid?
I've read that 80% of all medical care is paid for by either insurance or the government. I expect your $27 vs $700 was an exaggeration brought about by your frustration.
I had a sort of similar event years ago with QUEST where AETNA was my insurance company. My doctor ordered a series of blood tests we received a letter from QUEST that Aetna would not pay for one of the tests and they were billing us, if I recall it was like 250 for this test. They bothered my doctor for a letter explaining why the test was necessary and Aetna still refused to pay. A quick check on the internet and I discovered AETNA would have paid $50 for this test-that would have been payment in full. YOU WOULD NOT WANT TO TO BE THE PERSON AT QUEST TRYING TO TELL ME WHY THEY WOULD TAKE $50 AS PAYMENT IN FULL FROM AETNA BUT WOULD CHARGE ME
$250. I paid $50 noting on the check PAYMENT IN FULL along with the name of the poor lady who took my call.
THE BILL WAS PAID IN FULL AT THE RATE AETNA WOULD HAVE PAID.
We paid 12,000 for private healthcare insurance the last year before I was old enough to qualify for medicare. Of course I considered self insuring. I spent 4 days at the Villages Hospital and the bill was 50,000. AETNA settled the bill in full for 30,000. WHY AN UNINSURED PERSON WOULD PAY 50,000 BUT AN INSURANCE COMPANY PAYS 30,000 CANNOT BE JUSTIFIED. You as a consumer are forced to support an insurance company to be able to get medical care at what is market rate.
You mention in your post about a doctor writing off 500 on a 1,000 bill because the insurance company paid him 500 against his $1,000 bill. I've heard that thought before and asked my accountant about it. Actually I had a similar event in my business. You cannot write off money not paid.
Today, the private single doctor practice is gone. It was killed by the paperwork, dealing with not only the patients but with the insurance companies to get paid AND THE OUTRAGEOUS COST OF MAL PRACTICE INSURANCE.
People are all upset due to overbooking on the airlines.
Typical-you have a 3:00 doctors appointment so you get there 2:45. At 3:15 to 3:45 you are let into the backroom to wait another half hour to forty-five minutes. Your doctor is now working 2-3 patients including you AND HE HAS 15 MINUTES TO SPEND WITH YOU.