Cash is always king.
Posted on 05/29/2012 12:10:54 PM PDT by Theoria
The lowest price is usually available only if patients don't use their health insurance. In one case, blood tests that cost an insured patient $415 would have been $95 in cash.
A Long Beach hospital charged Jo Ann Snyder $6,707 for a CT scan of her abdomen and pelvis after colon surgery. But because she had health insurance with Blue Shield of California, her share was much less: $2,336.
Then Snyder tripped across one of the little-known secrets of healthcare: If she hadn't used her insurance, her bill would have been even lower, just $1,054.
"I couldn't believe it," said Snyder, a 57-year-old hair salon manager. "I was really upset that I got charged so much and Blue Shield allowed that. You expect them to work harder for you and negotiate a better deal."
Unknown to most consumers, many hospitals and physicians offer steep discounts for cash-paying patients regardless of income. But there's a catch: Typically you can get the lowest price only if you don't use your health insurance.
That disparity in pricing is coming under fire from people like Snyder, who say it's unfair for patients who pay hefty insurance premiums and deductibles to be penalized with higher rates for treatment.
The difference in price can be stunning. Los Alamitos Medical Center, for instance, lists a CT scan of the abdomen on a state website for $4,423. Blue Shield says its negotiated rate at the hospital is about $2,400.
When The Times called for a cash price, the hospital said it was $250.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Cash is always king.
There is no way the present hairball of Gov’t spending, insurance, etc... with regards to medical care will ever be dismantled willingly. It will only collapse or die a natural death over a very long time.
If we are lucky, a free-market option will be allowed to evolve naturally alongside. Politicians will likely do there best to ban it, and let’s hope it doesn’t become a black market. Its where we are headed anyway - lets just hope our Gov’t doesn’t make it too difficult.
We have a $10,000 deductible on our insurance, so I am always looking for places that will take cash for procedures. We go to a place for x-rays that are a fraction of the cost of going through the insurance company. I just had my shoulder xrayed for $35. I had blood tests done recently that were $49 each. The woman I spoke to suggested adding another test (for diabetes) and said it wouldn’t cost me any more because they have a Buy One Get One Free deal.
Yep, just pay cash. Submit the bill to your insurer and get it credited toward your deductible or even reimbursed.
Am from Orange County, and during times finding myself uninsured, took myself and family to doctor visits and paid at or slightly above the usual co pay.
My daughter fell from a play slide and broke her wrist. Hospital going rate was far below (80% ??) insured rates. 1987?
I remember for years Limbaugh pounding this point home regularly. And since I personally experienced it, made me realize how totally and completely corrupt our system is.
A local friend has done this quite a few times. Fact is, it costs care providers a LOT of money to deal with insurance companies and the government. When you pay cash as you would for a loaf of bread, they can charge half as much sometimes and make as much or more profit.
The hospitals almost HAVE to bilk the insurance companies for every dime they can. The administrative costs associated with every insurance claim add a huge cost to the care received; and then there is the major reason that no one in California has the guts to mention.
Un-insured Illegal Aliens who use the Emergency Room as their primary care provider and the Ambulance as a taxi service. Why pay for medical treatment? The “Gringos” owe it to the Mexicans because Whitey is rich and Mexicans are poor. (their justification, not mine). In San Antonio, the Ambulances are referred to as the Mexican Taxi-Cabs. Need a lift somewhere? No problem, call 911, request an Ambulance - get near the hospital and demand to be released ... one nice, free ride with great service.
My daughter’s husband was between jobs and she was visiting me. She popped a super sore throat that we both figured was strep. She HAD to go to the doctor. I took her to my doctor and told them I was paying cash for her visit.
She was seen by the doctor, had a throat culture, was prescribed antibiotics (culture was positive), and had a follow-up visit.
My out-of-pocket expense? $35. I’m a believer.
That’s why the push to get everyone into an insurance plan. The insurance companies pocket the premiums as their customers choose to just pay cash rather than use their insurance card. But in order to pay with cash, you still have to have paid the extortion for that insurance card. Suprise Surprise
Insurance companies along with doctors practicing non required medicine and then of course yellow belly lawyers and their exorbitant malpractice suits are complicit. Yes I agree, illegal aliens have forced hospitals to close their doors because Federal law requires them to be treated.
Here in Southeast Asia, you do NOT have to see any doctor to get "prescription" medicine. Name brand medication again costs probably 70% less than in USA.
Of course "medical tourism" is booming here.
Where in SE Asia are you located?
Even if you have insurance you can negotiate the co-pay. I’ve done it twice. The woman who could have gotten a CT scan for $1000 and is being billed $2,000, needs to seng them a check for $400 with “paid in full” written on the memo.
This may be the catalyst which will end up undermining socialized medicine.
I was billed $2,600 (10% co-pay per insurance guidelines) on a $26,000 bill. I found out the hospital had originally billed the insurance company over $90,000. I wrote the hospital and told them if they had agreed to a discount of $2,600 less then I wouldn’t owe anything. And I pointed out that nobody asked me if they could accept less money. They reduced my bill to $1000.
I’ve also gone to hospitals and offered cash for a discount and was turned down. But they agreed to a discount once the bill was mailed out.
Makes all the sense in the world. Providers can spend tons of money and manpower doing paperwork to try and collect their money, months into the future, playing the insurance billing game.
Would not trade the experience, culture and the profound understanding for anything.But I do miss my children very much!
Thailand, like others areas of the world have try to specialize in "heart care" and i am thinking they are expanding there expertise in "cancer care"
My own experience has been uneven. I failed a "stress test" and the young doctor wanted to rush me into double bypass surgery without any other tests. I have a history of giving false positives. So i kinda knew to get out the door and run. LOL!
But there are many excellent stories and goodness that is taking place here in the medical industry. And if we in America would follow this and other examples, affordable health care could be had for all!
I am not anti-insurance, I carry the maximum car insurance that USAA will sell me. However, I will not purchase insurance where the cost does not reflect the actual risk. So called "health insurance" is not insurance at all but rather a prepaid health plan. One that is grossly inflated to pay for all kinds of bizarre stuff mandated by the state. It may be different in other states (I don't know because I am not allowed to buy health insurance interstate, which raises the question why the Feds can regulate it at all) but in California health insurance at it's core is income redistribution and we will have none of it.
I have brought drugs in from Mexico and Canada and do not believe the FUD the health care complex spews for one minute; doing so is absolutely legal and they are absolutely the same drugs you get at your local pharmacy. Having shopped around for procedures I can tell you that LA for some reason (competition?) is a buyers market for cash healthcare. Something like a colonoscopy goes for $3500 on the central coast (1 hospital - no bargaining for cash), $1800 in the South Bay (San Jose) area and like $600 in LA. We just take a "medcation" road trip, stay in a deluxe hotel and still come out way ahead.
I have heard that Thailand is a great place for medical tourism. Haven't tried it yet but may be forced to at some point. I also heard that Costa Rica is excellent.
I definitely agree with you about the example other countries set for us in the area of health care.
>>I also heard that Costa Rica is excellent.<<
I heard that too. However, it may not be true, any longer.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2888105/posts
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.