(no subject)

[winterbadger]

A recent email from my insurance company divulged this information (estimates only, they hasten to add, in a footnote) as an incentive to get us to make sure we use in-network providers.

In network/Out of network

Doctor visit
$18/$96

Colonoscopy
$870/$2,388

Five-day hospital stay
$1,750/$19,750

I can't think of any word to describe that last, especially, other than "outrageous". If the hospital can afford to sell that service to the insurer at the in-network rate, what possible justification can there be for charging a different patient more than ten times as much for THE SAME SERVICE?

IMO, we are rapidly approaching the point where offering medical services as a for-PROFIT entity should be made illegal.

Comments

[wolfette]

You socialist, you! :-)

[winterbadger]

That's where I often come out on those web quizzes. Though even my very-Democratic-but-very-Not-Socialist friend who I was chatting about this with this morning replied, when I quoted all those #s, "And what are all those costs in the UK? And we think their system is 'bad' why again?" :-)

[azbound.livejournal.com]

I think what's crazy is how they've made it so complicated. It's why I'm a fan of (though God knows it has its issues) Medicare. It's a very realistic assessment of costs.

[winterbadger]

Agreed. It's a pity we can't just expand Medicare to cover everyone.

[reasdream.livejournal.com]

Yet another in my list of reasons that I hate the way health insurance companies work in this country.

[keethrax.livejournal.com]

While it is bad, in this case, don't forget to consider the source.

Costs fluctuate quite a bit anyhow, and I highly doubt that when the insurance company did this their estimation method didn't involve some sort of "let's pick the biggest differences we can find for the out of network". It helps make the providers look worse and the insurance company look relatively better. When in fact both are conspiring to completely screw you over.

[winterbadger]

Oh, believe me, I hold no brief for insurance companies. Doctors and hospitals at least have a beneficial function, when operating correctly. Insurance companies *used* to be about making catastrophic medical care affordable to people who might not be able to afford otherwise by collecting the next best thing to protection money and then paying out if you really needed it. Now they seem to have switched over to collecting money all the time and *not* paying it out if you really need it.

[keethrax.livejournal.com]

http://www.gppcomic.com/2009/07/03/moses-explains-it-all-the-us-healthcare-system/