That post may not be what you want to hear but it’s the best feedback you’ve gotten —

I don't think the rates have skyrocketed but I have not looked in a while. Go on the ACA website and you can do a trial run. Play with income levels - a little difference makes a large difference in subsidy levels. By the way Biker is correct somewhere around $60K you become eligible. You are projecting your income forward for the calendar year you are getting insurance for. The danger is if through the year you miss and have higher income you owe the subsidy back.

No insurance is the choice you have made. How are you going to get around the fact that most doctors will not take cash only. My guess is they are not equipped to handle cash with their office staff and billing software. And unless collected at time of service have a good chance of getting stiffed. Now they have both large malpractice insurance plus attorney fees / collection agency fees. Most docs want to be just that docs. Billing is a headache. That is why many docs limit the kind of insurance they will accept. It is a huge burden to their staff coding, getting approvals, etc from the policies plus add on the out of state and government policies = nightmare. Either looks like your going to have to get on the phone and randomly call docs here and see if you can strike a deal or stay wherever it is you live now. If the docs office says they are not willing to accept cash ask them why they accept payment from co pays immediately prior to service. Tell them you are willing in essence to do the same thing accept give you the entire bill.

i was in a somewhat similar situation when we 1st arrived. i used the urgent care centers. the 1 by colony plaza is prob the best to use due to the helpfulness of the staff. they're pretty flexible, but you will need to pay upfront. good luck!

The free clinic said they would refill my meds one time until I get settled, so that helps. I told them I'm happy to pay for the visit. Plus some other options people mentioned on here sound hopeful. I think it will work out. Yeah, I dont see how doctors do it with all the overhead, crazy. It seems self pay clients would be the way to go but whadda I know. I had read about a Canadian doctor that moved to the US, set up practice hoping to make more money. She was here 5 years and, yes, made more money but went back to Canada as the extra money wasnt worth the headache. I've also read that if universal health care went into effect, with all the billers that would be laid off, our GDP would drop 30% and really increase unemployment. What a mess whoever created health insurance has made!!! We are dependent now.

Cash isn't the only available method of payment in this country. There are credit cards, debit cards, checks, cashier's checks, certified checks, money orders...

Most doctors are affiliated with at least one type of insurance that requires the patient to pay a co-pay. How do you think those co-pays get paid? The patient usually pays with a credit card, cash, debit card, or a check.

Seriously you're turning a nothing into an issue. Just tell the doctor's office you'll be paying with a credit card and problem solved.

You are not understanding the situation. Most medical facilities will not accept patients that can not show proof of insurance. Being a cash paying patient is not the same as paying your co-pay with cash.

What doctors office is ignorant enough to play word games.? Credit card, cash, debit-all basically the same thing. If cash isnt wanted for security reasons, they would say so when I called.

Gigi. There are those who will never understand not having medical insurance as a choice. I think you see that by now. Sometimes walking away is the thing to do.

If you find a good doctor who takes self-pay, will you send me a message. I am not currently looking, but maybe for future reference. Best of luck to you.

Sure will but will probably be in year or so.

" I've also read that if universal health care went into effect, with all the billers that would be laid off, our GDP would drop 30% and really increase unemployment."

I'd really like to see a source for that IDIOTIC number. Since healthcare as a whole represents about 17% of our GDP, how could the small billing portion represent 30%?????
We did all our billing in-house at a cost of 3.4% of receipts. If you used a relatively expensive outside billing service it would run 7%, so let's use 5% as an average. 5% of 17% is 0.85%, a long way from 30 % I have a hard time believing anyone could read that number and think it was true, so I doubt it passes the "smell" test. In addition, I wouldn't worry about unemployment for these billers when the system is replaced with a huge government bureaucracy, wee all know how efficient those workers are.

If the question remains why most doctors will not accept cash patients, the answer has nothing to do with security, word games or ignorance. You either have to demand payment in advance, which just goes against our professional grain, or ask afterwards, when you get a million excuses and then have to try to collect later.
Our collection rate on insured and Medicare patients was about 96%, on cash patients about 29%.

Ok, I forget exactly what all was included in that 30%. Surely there are other occupations included somehow. However, the point being that it would be significant.

???????????? I was replying to someones elses comment. You missed the point. But, what do YOU think should be done with healthcare? Nothing? It seems that being a doctor is like any other business. Maybe I sound heartless but I would require all payment up front.

[QUOTE=golfing eagles;1705724]" I've also read that if universal health care went into effect, with all the billers that would be laid off, our GDP would drop 30% and really increase unemployment."

Too late our billing department with 21 people were let go 5 years ago. At first the new company was in US. Now it’s hard to find anyone that understands any medical terms. We had a $18,000 anesthesia bill, for surgery. 6 different people told me it was not covered because it was an office visit. It’s in appeals. Even hospital can’t get them to understand

[QUOTE=asianthree;1705765]Can't get the insurance company to understand? Dont they go by the coding on the bill? Was it submitted incorrectly? How frustrating. Is our healthcare just going to fall completely apart? How can the system hold up?