National Problem?!!

[Terps]

I was so upset to learn that some hospitals are charging patients who don’t have insurance up to 5 times more than what they would charge Medicare for a procedure. Charging uninsured patients higher prices for procedures can lead to bankruptcy. I read an article that mentioned a study done by Harvard that said health care costs were the cause of half of the bankruptcy filings that year.
High health care costs are often the final straw for uninsured families and can lead to them declaring bankruptcy. Why would they do this?

 

[harleygirl]

I was so upset to learn that some hospitals are charging patients who don’t have insurance up to 5 times more than what they would charge Medicare for a procedure. Charging uninsured patients higher prices for procedures can lead to bankruptcy. I read an article that mentioned a study done by Harvard that said health care costs were the cause of half of the bankruptcy filings that year.
High health care costs are often the final straw for uninsured families and can lead to them declaring bankruptcy. Why would they do this?

When hospitals agree with insurance companies to accept that particular insurance, (along with Dr.'s offices), they agree to accept what the insurance calls "reasonable and customary fees." For instance, you and I may have the same procedure, but with different insurances our companies might be willing to pay different amounts. With no insurance, they can charge whatever they want. For 75% of cases, they do not collect all the fees, so they write them off. The more the bills are unpaid, (because they are extremely high) the more they can write off.

 

[Geek]

I guess it is the BJ'S or Sam's club mentality, The insurance pays for 24 gallbladder removals a week and one patient without insurance is not buying their surgery in bulk, just having one gallbladder removed. It is impossible to imagine paying those huge costs on your own.

 

[Makavide]

I was so upset to learn that some hospitals are charging patients who don’t have insurance up to 5 times more than what they would charge Medicare for a procedure. Charging uninsured patients higher prices for procedures can lead to bankruptcy. I read an article that mentioned a study done by Harvard that said health care costs were the cause of half of the bankruptcy filings that year.
High health care costs are often the final straw for uninsured families and can lead to them declaring bankruptcy. Why would they do this?

They don't charge higher prices for the uninsured. The price they charge them is the normal price they would charge anyone. They charge medicare the same price, but medicare has price cap on most procedures and will only pay that amount, and by law the hospital is not allowed to recoup the difference. It works the same way as Tricare Prime for the military.

 

[Terps]

I guess i see that the insurance paying for a bulk of surgeries should get a discount but i just think its terrible that the hospitals stick the uninsured with such high bills. I mean insurance companies have so much money, should they really be discounted? Can't they just pay normal price like the people without insurance, then it would at least be fair. What do you mean they usually dont get paid in full so they just dont write it off? Doesn't that give patients bad credit or dont the bills follow them.

 

[Terps]

OK not to harp, but i think this article really sums up what i have been trying to say, points i am trying to prove etc. This was on 60 minutes Sunday and here is the article. Please read this and hopefully it will explain it better than me let me know what you think.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/02/60minutes/main1362808.shtml

 

[fttrsbeerwench]

This is a sore topic with me....

I have not had insurance in 5 years.... I'm still paying bills from back then.... I'm down to about $10,000 .

 

[Terps]

This is a sore topic with me....

I have not had insurance in 5 years.... I'm still paying bills from back then.... I'm down to about $10,000 .

Exactly, its people like you that i think are completely getting the short end of the stick in this issue. Do you think hospitals increased your bills, did they charge different prices for services or procedures. What happened in your situation if you dont mind me asking?

 

[fttrsbeerwench]

Exactly, its people like you that i think are completely getting the short end of the stick in this issue. Do you think hospitals increased your bills, did they charge different prices for services or procedures. What happened in your situation if you dont mind me asking?

I don't see it as getting the short end of the stick, i'm just paying what is due..The problem is that without the insurance to cover by butt, I have a hard time seeing a doctor when I need to or get treatment for ongoing problems.My dentist is easy yo pay for, he charges basic flat fees for cleanings and fillings, so that isn't really an issue. I have cronic migraines..That is what the majority of the bills are for.. ER visits that amount to roughly 400 too 1000 dollars a pop, Cat scans, MRI's and still, I haven't found a prescription treatment that will work. The ER is my only option.. The headaches can come at any time, day or night. They leave me completely incapacitated and the effects last for days.

Your post got me thinking, so I went and added up what I owed.. $16,000 dollars that reaches back as far as 1996. That is roughly half of what I originally owed.

 

[Terps]

I don't see it as getting the short end of the stick, i'm just paying what is due..The problem is that without the insurance to cover by butt, I have a hard time seeing a doctor when I need to or get treatment for ongoing problems.My dentist is easy yo pay for, he charges basic flat fees for cleanings and fillings, so that isn't really an issue. I have cronic migraines..That is what the majority of the bills are for.. ER visits that amount to roughly 400 too 1000 dollars a pop, Cat scans, MRI's and still, I haven't found a prescription treatment that will work. The ER is my only option.. The headaches can come at any time, day or night. They leave me completely incapacitated and the effects last for days.

Your post got me thinking, so I went and added up what I owed.. $16,000 dollars that reaches back as far as 1996. That is roughly half of what I originally owed.

Well at least you have a good attitude about paying the bills. I am also curious, do you work and not have company health insurance? I think that is another problem that all companies should HAVE to provide health insurance. At least you have not experienced the hospital charging you different amount s for the same services you recieve or ER visits. Some stories and articles i have read about this problem are appalling. Good luck with the migranes.

 

[itsbob]

I was so upset to learn that some hospitals are charging patients who don’t have insurance up to 5 times more than what they would charge Medicare for a procedure. Charging uninsured patients higher prices for procedures can lead to bankruptcy. I read an article that mentioned a study done by Harvard that said health care costs were the cause of half of the bankruptcy filings that year.
High health care costs are often the final straw for uninsured families and can lead to them declaring bankruptcy. Why would they do this?

What you are quoting is kind of misleading.. they are charging the uninsured 5 times what they charge for medicare. What do they charge someone with say Mailhandlers or Blue Cross Blue Shield?? I would bet that's 5 times what they charge medicare too. Champ-VA/ Tri-Care and Medicare are closely related, and if you've seen the bill, you would see the hospitals are taking a loss on treating those patients. I'm worried that someday (Soon) private doctors offices aren't going to take Champ-VA or TRI-Care patients anymore because of it. I get a bill for a doctors (one who accepts Tri-Care/ CHAMP-VA)vist, including blood draw, and other tests, they allow the doctor to bill me $25 (for example) for the doctors visit, $9 for the blood draw.. where the DR's actual rate is 5 times that. Simple math will tell you, docotors can't afford to have too many of us as patients. They don't allow enough for the DR to pay for the materials used, let alone all of his help.

 

[pixiegirl]

I don't see it as getting the short end of the stick, i'm just paying what is due..The problem is that without the insurance to cover by butt, I have a hard time seeing a doctor when I need to or get treatment for ongoing problems.My dentist is easy yo pay for, he charges basic flat fees for cleanings and fillings, so that isn't really an issue. I have cronic migraines..That is what the majority of the bills are for.. ER visits that amount to roughly 400 too 1000 dollars a pop, Cat scans, MRI's and still, I haven't found a prescription treatment that will work. The ER is my only option.. The headaches can come at any time, day or night. They leave me completely incapacitated and the effects last for days.

Your post got me thinking, so I went and added up what I owed.. $16,000 dollars that reaches back as far as 1996. That is roughly half of what I originally owed.

Why don't you have insurance though? There's really no excuse not to. If your employer doesn't offer insurance then you can buy a policy yourself. Yes it may be a little more expensive then what you'd have through an employer (but not always) but it would certainly be less then the bills you're paying.

I get/have terrible migraines as well. Some of the worst that my neurologist has seen. I respond very well to Relpax and am on a daily treatment of anti-sezuire medication as a preventive measure. But I know that there will always be 1-2 headaches a year that will not respond to medication and I'll end up in the ER getting drugged up till I'm knocked out for. I was out of work last summer for a month (lay off) and I got my own insurance.

 

[CMC122]

Charges are the same across the board, no matter what insurance you have. It's the negotiated amount that the insurance company pays that is different for all companies. When I go to bill a patient I don't look to see if they have so and so insurance and charge them a different price.

 

[fttrsbeerwench]

Why don't you have insurance though? There's really no excuse not to. If your employer doesn't offer insurance then you can buy a policy yourself. Yes it may be a little more expensive then what you'd have through an employer (but not always) but it would certainly be less then the bills you're paying.

I get/have terrible migraines as well. Some of the worst that my neurologist has seen. I respond very well to Relpax and am on a daily treatment of anti-sezuire medication as a preventive measure. But I know that there will always be 1-2 headaches a year that will not respond to medication and I'll end up in the ER getting drugged up till I'm knocked out for. I was out of work last summer for a month (lay off) and I got my own insurance.

That's what the neurologist told me back when I had the MRI done.. They didn't find anything substantial in the MRI, but at the time, I also had a parotid tumor removed (in 2002) that they were hoping was the cause... It helped alot, but didn't completely stop the headaches. Their guess was that the pressure the tumor was putting on my facial nerves was the cause..
I tried Relpax about six months ago... It made me terribly sick so I gave that up(I'm also very very sensitive to most medications). The three medications the usually give me at the ER work great. One for nausea, one for pain and one that thins my blood a little. Within an hour, I'm up and running with little confusion or after effects.
This is the reason I don't want to go back to bartending.. The smokey environment, the hours, and lifestyle and lack of insurance.. I'm 30 years old and living like a vampire isn't for me anymore, so I got a day job and once I get settled in to a new schedule, I'm gonna change things. The job I'm at doesn't offer health insurance, and it's not like I want to make a career of this.. So, my plan is, by the end of this year, to be somewhere that does.