Medical Billing Victory!?

[peta hillman]

Called to dispute an office visit where the only treatment I received was.... 'we don't do that you have to go here...' For $138.00! I got it down to $55.00 just for asking.

 

[MitchM]

pfft...you guys need to go to single payer....

 

[j.w]

Guess you had an appointment and you took up space so you pay.

 

[Faebinder]

We needed single payer 10 years ago. It would solve a lot of the trauma small businesses are going through.

 

[peta hillman]

Most folks I talk to are paying 500-700 a month for insurance we cant use due to high deductibles. Mines 5k.
This is somehow better than before reform?
The price we pay to give free insurance to our neighbors who choose not to work.
1990... We gave birth to our daughter the cost to us out of pocket...ZERO. My insurance (provided free from work) covered the bills and my wife's free insurance paid the $200 deductible. Not sure what was wrong with that setup.

 

[mgmine]

pfft...you guys need to go to single payer....

In the U.S we have a micro single payer system for veterans, and anyone reading the news has see how good that system is...not. When health care is needed it's needed that's why a lot of Canadians come over the boarder to get treated. A single payer system is not a good system or a cheap system. It's a system that costs money but since it's being paid out of taxes gives the illusion of being free. As far as problems being caused for small business owners, those problems started when Obama care started. Prior to that small business did not have a problem.

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/stu...t-times-for-health-care-in-canada-2015-report

 

[Lisak1]

I won't get into the whole single payer argument, but I will say we used to negotiate bills all the time with doctors and hospitals. The problem now is we never see an actual bill - all we get is EOBs from the insurance company and a statement from the provider, so we have no idea what we are paying for each service we receive. When we took the consumer out of the mix is when things started to go wrong. Every patient should see a bill BEFORE it goes to insurance. How does the insurance company even know for sure if you GOT that $46 aspirin? The way we handle medical bills now is just asking for fraud.

Years ago an ER charged $26 a piece for two Ace bandages when my daughter broke her ankle. I told them I would pay $4 a piece - I could buy them at the store for $2 and I would give them an extra $2 for wrapping it up. They accepted that. But you can't do that anymore. Go ahead and ask for an itemized statement - takes an act of Congress. Oh, wait...

 

[MitchM]

In the U.S we have a micro single payer system for veterans, and anyone reading the news has see how good that system is...not. When health care is needed it's needed that's why a lot of Canadians come over the boarder to get treated. A single payer system is not a good system or a cheap system. It's a system that costs money but since it's being paid out of taxes gives the illusion of being free. As far as problems being caused for small business owners, those problems started when Obama care started. Prior to that small business did not have a problem.

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/stu...t-times-for-health-care-in-canada-2015-report

Canadians going to the US are the exception, not the rule.
Also, those Canadians have the means and methods to let their "complaints" be known, moreso than regular and low income people.
I can guarantee you that there is a higher percentage of Americans that would like single payer than there are a percentage of Canadians that would prefer an American type of healthcare.
If you have a 5 or 10K deductible for health insurance, then that is insurance in name only.
Health care should not be a profit centre, other than for health care workers and equipment manufactures/suppliers, imo. Your healthcare should not be compromised if you are unemployed.

 

[Faebinder]

In the U.S we have a micro single payer system for veterans, and anyone reading the news has see how good that system is...not. When health care is needed it's needed that's why a lot of Canadians come over the boarder to get treated. A single payer system is not a good system or a cheap system. It's a system that costs money but since it's being paid out of taxes gives the illusion of being free. As far as problems being caused for small business owners, those problems started when Obama care started. Prior to that small business did not have a problem.

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/stu...t-times-for-health-care-in-canada-2015-report

Prior to ObamaCare small businesses just gave no medical insurance for their employees and those employees went to Medicaid when they visited the ED, who legal cannot turn them down.... Medicaid comes from our tax dollars, the average joe, who does not have huge tax deductions of a corporation (unlike our famous business man who has an infinite tax deduction carry over from his virtual loss of income in a business).

With regards to the VA, all we see the negative stuff of the VA, we never see the positive aspect of the VA. As someone who worked for the VA for two years, I tell you the system didn't leave anyone without the basic medications or management. The higher specialties is where it fails and for that I'm sure the US will always have a second subtle tier... sorta like how it is done in France or the UK.... I.e. If you need an allergist now and not in a month from now, then go pay for one.

 

[mgmine]

Canadians going to the US are the exception, not the rule.
Also, those Canadians have the means and methods to let their "complaints" be known, moreso than regular and low income people.
I can guarantee you that there is a higher percentage of Americans that would like single payer than there are a percentage of Canadians that would prefer an American type of healthcare.
If you have a 5 or 10K deductible for health insurance, then that is insurance in name only.
Health care should not be a profit centre, other than for health care workers and equipment manufactures/suppliers, imo. Your healthcare should not be compromised if you are unemployed.

Those deductibles came in after Obama care they were never like that before. If a person cannot afford insurance they are given free insurance. It's called Medicaid. If you are over 65 you get insurance it's called Medicare. With Medicare you have to pay a little over $100 a month. If you walk into a hospital and say you cant afford care you get it for free it's called Hill Burton. So everyone is covered and no one waits. The only ones that want a single payer are the ones stuck in the middle and are now faced with the downside of Obama care. In addition to the Canadians that come over the boarder (I live close to the boarder) Canadian doctors come here to work. I know 7 of them personally. Their complaint is that they aren't paid what they are worth. I can't answer to that.

 

[mgmine]

Prior to ObamaCare small businesses just gave no medical insurance for their employees and those employees went to Medicaid when they visited the ED, who legal cannot turn them down.... Medicaid comes from our tax dollars, the average joe, who does not have huge tax deductions of a corporation (unlike our famous business man who has an infinite tax deduction carry over from his virtual loss of income in a business).

With regards to the VA, all we see the negative stuff of the VA, we never see the positive aspect of the VA. As someone who worked for the VA for two years, I tell you the system didn't leave anyone without the basic medications or management. The higher specialties is where it fails and for that I'm sure the US will always have a second subtle tier... sorta like how it is done in France or the UK.... I.e. If you need an allergist now and not in a month from now, then go pay for one.

No if they were low income they were already on Medicaid and were covered. If they weren't low income then they were stuck if their employers didn't offer health care. Under Obama care states expanded Medicaid and to do that raised the income level. Now more people are eligible for medicaid and more of the tax dollar is going out to pay for the millions more on Medicaid. People used to be able to purchase affordable health care. That changed when Obama mandated what the companies had to cover. As far as a business man taking a virtual loss on his taxes do you think Trump is the only business man to do it? Remember Clinton took a deduction for his donated underware.... Change the tax code to eliminate the write offs. Oh wait isn't that what our famous business man is trying to do? Let's see who tries to stop him again.

 

[MitchM]

Those deductibles came in after Obama care they were never like that before. If a person cannot afford insurance they are given free insurance. It's called Medicaid. If you are over 65 you get insurance it's called Medicare. With Medicare you have to pay a little over $100 a month. If you walk into a hospital and say you cant afford care you get it for free it's called Hill Burton. So everyone is covered and no one waits. The only ones that want a single payer are the ones stuck in the middle and are now faced with the downside of Obama care. In addition to the Canadians that come over the boarder (I live close to the boarder) Canadian doctors come here to work. I know 7 of them personally. Their complaint is that they aren't paid what they are worth. I can't answer to that.

Canadian doctors are free to set up private clinics in Canada. The problem is that they have to find enough patients to pay them what they want to charge - but those doctors are not allowed to work in both systems. They can't charge some patients for services and charge the government for other patients.
After doing the math, it's not usually a profitable business. There's not enough patients willing to pay the high asking price for fees and the private practice would have to have a lot of high priced specialists on staff who want to be kept busy.
It's easier to hop across the US border and join an existing private practice. They must have found a way to work within the US Visa requirements.
The alternative for Canadian doctors is to accept the government-set fee schedule and be kept very busy.

 

[Faebinder]

No if they were low income they were already on Medicaid and were covered. If they weren't low income then they were stuck if their employers didn't offer health care. Under Obama care states expanded Medicaid and to do that raised the income level. Now more people are eligible for medicaid and more of the tax dollar is going out to pay for the millions more on Medicaid. People used to be able to purchase affordable health care. That changed when Obama mandated what the companies had to cover. As far as a business man taking a virtual loss on his taxes do you think Trump is the only business man to do it? Remember Clinton took a deduction for his donated underware.... Change the tax code to eliminate the write offs. Oh wait isn't that what our famous business man is trying to do? Let's see who tries to stop him again.

Low working income is not automatically on Medicaid.. The limit to come off Medicaid is below minimum wage total income in a year. I deal with this daily. If you are uninsured, work and visit the ED ... you'll pay or it will be written off and tax will pay.

Agree with changing the tax code, but it will never happen. Too many senators are easily influenced.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I recently had a cardiac ablation.
An outpatient procedure.
Got a bill for $160,000.
My insurance paid $14,000 and the hospital accepted it.
Something fishy there.....

 

[peta hillman]

Low working income is not automatically on Medicaid.. The limit to come off Medicaid is below minimum wage total income in a year. I deal with this daily. If you are uninsured, work and visit the ED ... you'll pay or it will be written off and tax will pay.

Agree with changing the tax code, but it will never happen. Too many senators are easily influenced.

What if you're an illegal alien, who pays then?