Trump releases rule forcing hospitals and insurers to disclose negotiated rates or face fines

[BOP]

Not a peep out of any source until I stumbled across it on Ace of Spades (http://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=384598).

https://comsync.lijit.com/1/d/r?aqet=clk&v0=583e9e4064841206e3e08f9097fa584b&ru=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnbc.com%2F2019%2F11%2F15%2Ftrump-releases-rule-requiring-hospitals-and-insurers-to-disclose-negotiated-rates.html

tinyurl.com

• Hospitals will now be required to post their standard charges for services, which include gross charges, the negotiated rates with insurers and the discounted price a hospital is willing to accept from a patient.
• The rule begins a “new era” in price transparency in health care, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says.
• Trump is expected to discuss his transparency rules Friday afternoon in a Roosevelt Room event.

Naturally, hospitals aren't happy about dat:
The federal rule was expected to face legal challenges.

The American Hospital Association, an industry trade group, said later Friday it will join with member hospitals to file a legal challenge to the rule on grounds including that it exceeds the administration’s authority.

 

[officeguy]

We can't possibly have that, actual price transparency that would allow people to make informed decisions about their healthcare. We need the government to tell them where and how to get their care, because the government knows best.

 

[Hijinx]

I get a bill and it says the Charge is $2500 dollars
Later it says hospitalization paid $1,000 and I owe nothing more.

Now that's fine, I have no problem with hospitalization negotiating with the hospital.
But why should someone who has no insurance and nothing to hold over the hospitals head have to pay the $2500, dollars;.

 

[WingsOfGold]

I get a bill and it says the Charge is $2500 dollars
Later it says hospitalization paid $1,000 and I owe nothing more.

Now that's fine, I have no problem with hospitalization negotiating with the hospital.
But why should someone who has no insurance and nothing to hold over the hospitals head have to pay the $2500, dollars;.

Concur, can't get blood out of a rock so if provider can live with 1,000 make it 1,000 for everybody. 2,500 may be insurmountable for most anyone with little so why should they even try? I have both Medicare and Tricare, what Medicare doesn't pay tricare pays the difference most of the time. Last year a hip cost me 26 bucks, I am fortunate I know to have made a few good life decisions.
Last month due to a atv accident a 26 mile ambulance ride was 1400 dollars for the wife... without sirens and lights! I think that's pretty excessive. They will pay 75% of the ALLOWABLE amount, I'll probably pay 2 or 3 hundred out of that and that's fair I think.

 

[MiddleGround]

Seems like a smart move by the health care machine to me.

By listing the procedure at $2500 and only collecting $1000, the hospital can say they took a $1500 loss on the deal.

 

[black dog]

I carry good blue cross blue shield, but I have never even come close to meeting the deductible with the plan I choose, but if I go to the local urgent care they always ask if I want to be billed or settle the bill right then after I have seen the doctor.
The visit seems to always be around 140.00 - 200.00 bucks if they bill me and half of that if I pay right then.

 

[GURPS]

The visit seems to always be around 140.00 - 200.00 bucks if they bill me and half of that if I pay right then.

years ago my Primary care doctor told me be spends 60 cents of every dollar chasing that dollar dealing with insurance companies

 

[black dog]

years ago my Primary care doctor told me be spends 60 cents of every dollar chasing that dollar dealing with insurance companies

And its probably at least that today.. When I worked for Otis we were told many times when we charge materials at a vendor we needed it to be worthwhile because it costs UT Otis around 20 dollars to run the bill through the system to get the bill paid.
Now days the Mechanics use a company credit card to buy needed materials for the most part...

 

[General Lee]

Seems like a smart move by the health care machine to me.

By listing the procedure at $2500 and only collecting $1000, the hospital can say they took a $1500 loss on the deal.

That is exactly what they do. I had a back brace prescribed and the brace was 1500.00. It cost me nothing out of pocket, insurance paid 500. When I asked how it is so that I owe nothing, my insurance company told me the doctor's office will just write the 1000.00 as a loss.

 

[MiddleGround]

That is exactly what they do. I had a back brace prescribed and the brace was 1500.00. It cost me nothing out of pocket, insurance paid 500. When I asked how it is so that I owe nothing, my insurance company told me the doctor's office will just write the 1000.00 as a loss.

No surprise. I'm guessing that the ability to write off the loss is dependent on an insurance being billed first. Hence why they charge FULL price to the uninsured.

 

[officeguy]

Now that's fine, I have no problem with hospitalization negotiating with the hospital.
But why should someone who has no insurance and nothing to hold over the hospitals head have to pay the $2500, dollars;.

Nobody does. The 2500 is 'funny money' that the hospital never expects to collect. With a cash payer, they huff and puff and threaten collection, and if he writes them a $600 check they will gladly accept it and write off the rest.

What this is about is that currently you dont know what your insurer will pay to hospital A vs. hospital B (and what your cost-share may be) unless you make yourself a pest and call your insurers customer service line 12 times a day prior to lets say a planned procedure. The hospital is not allowed to tell you what their negotiated rate is as the insurer considers it a 'business secret'. This is about forcing the hospitals to post a list of their negotiated rates allowing those patients who can make a choice to decide on their own whether they want to go to hospital A, hospital B or ambulatory surgery center C to have their knee scope done. The hospitals and the insurers absolutely hate that as the patients would find out that the same service can be had for wildly different prices.

 

[transporter]

You people are supposed to be AGAINST regulations.

More specifically you are supposed to be rabidly AGAINST Executive Orders and Executive Branch overreach.

In addition, you all are supposed to be all FOR naked corporate greed.

Remember???

 

[22AcaciaAve]

You people are supposed to be AGAINST regulations.

More specifically you are supposed to be rabidly AGAINST Executive Orders and Executive Branch overreach.

In addition, you all are supposed to be all FOR naked corporate greed.

Remember???

Does that mean you have no complaints about something Trump did? For the record, most conservatives are against regulations that are overbearing and costly on business. Unlike progressives, conservatives recognize that business is not our enemy, it's what provides the jobs that most of us need to be able to earn money. We do understand that some regulation is necessary to keep the playing field level and prevent abuse, it is the overbearing regulations that we do not support. This rule doesn't financially impact hospitals in any way, it just forces transparency in what they are doing. All the health care reform advocates should appreciate this.

As for executive orders, like it or not everyone better get used to it. Democrats refused to even attempt to work with Trump just as republicans refused most of Obama's agenda. The two sides simply will not work with each other. The next democrat president better hope he gets both chambers of congress because republicans are even better at being vindictive than democrats. Any democrat president dealing with a republican majority in either the house or senate can expect to get NOTHING passed. Anything he wants is DOA. Executive order is the only way he gets anything.

 

[officeguy]

You people are supposed to be AGAINST regulations.

More specifically you are supposed to be rabidly AGAINST Executive Orders and Executive Branch overreach.

In addition, you all are supposed to be all FOR naked corporate greed.

Remember???

Says who ?




If congress didn't waste their time on irrelevant crap and already passed market transparency into law, there would be no need for an EO. We'll see whether the hospitals can buy off enough corrupt democrats to get the EO overturned.

 

[littlelady]

22AA, There is a reason for all that. I’ll put it this way, I would rather have conservative policies, than liberal policies. Good post, btw.

 

[WingsOfGold]

You people are supposed to be AGAINST regulations.

More specifically you are supposed to be rabidly AGAINST Executive Orders and Executive Branch overreach.

In addition, you all are supposed to be all FOR naked corporate greed.

Remember???

Ummmm, no actually.

 

[PrchJrkr]

Everything in a lib's world must be black or white, good or bad, toe the line. There is no room for give and take. They aren't able to compromise for the good of all. They're like petulant little children that must get their way, or they fall to the floor kicking and screaming until they turn blue in the face, and someone gives in. We've all seen them in stores causing a ruckus because mommy dearest won't buy them that new toy. My kids used to act embarrassed to be of the same generation as the screamers and give me this look of utter bewilderment, that the kids could control the parents with this BS. This is what we have now. Those parents that spoiled and coddled their kids are responsible for the adults they've grown into. May God help us.

Getting back to the subject at hand, I think that the cases of self-paying patients in comparison to insured patients are likely 1000:1 (opinion). I don't begrudge the hospitals giving better rates to the insurance companies, because they know they are getting paid. With self pay, it's a crap shoot if they're going to collect a damn thing. I DO think hospital costs are extreme for the most part, but generally speaking, they're making up for the ones who use the emergency room as a general practitioner with no intentions to pay a cent.

Mookie scrapped his knee on the playground when Bo Bo pushed him? Don't run off to the ER. Splash it with peroxide, throw a band-aid on it, and kick his ass out the door to play some more.

 

[GURPS]

In addition, you all are supposed to be all FOR naked corporate greed.

Fantasy Supposition and OPINION