Comments on: Hospitals Struggle Over Who Can Afford To Pay http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford.html Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:04:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford.html#comment-78811 Anonymous Fri, 10 Aug 2007 03:26:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford-to-pay.html#comment-78811 Actually I do know what I am talking about. I don't sign any of those contracts, charge everyone the same fair fee. Integrity has it's price, just as selling out has it's payoff. My neighbors are teachers and policemen, not doctors as my house is worth the median home in this town. But there is no mortgage broker as it is paid for. For me it is as simple as the golden rule. I would be pissed if I found out someone sold me something for 700 that he was willing to sell to my neighbor for 70. I wouldn't want that done to me, so I am not going to do it to them. Actually I do know what I am talking about. I don’t sign any of those contracts, charge everyone the same fair fee. Integrity has it’s price, just as selling out has it’s payoff. My neighbors are teachers and policemen, not doctors as my house is worth the median home in this town. But there is no mortgage broker as it is paid for. For me it is as simple as the golden rule. I would be pissed if I found out someone sold me something for 700 that he was willing to sell to my neighbor for 70. I wouldn’t want that done to me, so I am not going to do it to them.

]]> By: Mikehttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford.html#comment-78801 Mike Fri, 10 Aug 2007 00:30:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford-to-pay.html#comment-78801 "Obviously $79 is acceptable to him for the service or he wouldn't take it, "<br/><br/>I am now convinced that you have no idea what you are talking about. Doctors accept assignment because they are locked into contracts, and the gov't is just another bad contract. You think I like getting 55 bucks for spending 20 to thrity minutes for a chronic diabetic, whom I like, but cant make much from? So why dont I just opt out of all the plans and have no business. I'm sure my mortgage broker will say "hey, we'll wait until your practice grows"<br/><br/>No one likes getting 79 bucks. Please. “Obviously $79 is acceptable to him for the service or he wouldn’t take it, “

I am now convinced that you have no idea what you are talking about. Doctors accept assignment because they are locked into contracts, and the gov’t is just another bad contract. You think I like getting 55 bucks for spending 20 to thrity minutes for a chronic diabetic, whom I like, but cant make much from? So why dont I just opt out of all the plans and have no business. I’m sure my mortgage broker will say “hey, we’ll wait until your practice grows”

No one likes getting 79 bucks. Please.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford.html#comment-78778 Anonymous Thu, 09 Aug 2007 11:21:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford-to-pay.html#comment-78778 Nobody "deserves" medical charity. Nobody “deserves” medical charity.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford.html#comment-78772 Anonymous Thu, 09 Aug 2007 02:24:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford-to-pay.html#comment-78772 Once upon a time, you could appeal unreasonable charges to the medical society, but the feds say it is illegal--even though all the medical society could do to enforce it was expell the member which would have no impact on anything but his feelings. Once upon a time, you could appeal unreasonable charges to the medical society, but the feds say it is illegal–even though all the medical society could do to enforce it was expell the member which would have no impact on anything but his feelings.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford.html#comment-78771 Anonymous Thu, 09 Aug 2007 02:21:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford-to-pay.html#comment-78771 Obviously $79 is acceptable to him for the service or he wouldn't take it, so clearly when he charges 10 times that, he is gouging just because he can. Obviously $79 is acceptable to him for the service or he wouldn’t take it, so clearly when he charges 10 times that, he is gouging just because he can.

]]> By: Mikehttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford.html#comment-78760 Mike Thu, 09 Aug 2007 01:26:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford-to-pay.html#comment-78760 What are you talking about??? The doctor probably checked "Accept assignment", so who is getting away with anything??? The doctor gets screwed every-freaking-time! Its the gov't and insurers who shouldnt be aloowed to do this.. but they do. What are you talking about??? The doctor probably checked “Accept assignment”, so who is getting away with anything??? The doctor gets screwed every-freaking-time! Its the gov’t and insurers who shouldnt be aloowed to do this.. but they do.

]]> By: Lisahttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford.html#comment-78722 Lisa Wed, 08 Aug 2007 00:06:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford-to-pay.html#comment-78722 "Well, one way hospitals help insure that people can't afford to pay is to use cash pay patients as a subsidy for insured payments and defaulters. This means that I, as a cash customer, pay 3 times what an insurance company pays for the same service."<br/><br/>It's worse than that where I'm from. The doctor who just analyzed my husband's echocardiogram billed $760.00. The insurance company paid $79.27, with no co-pay. How can that be? <br/><br/>You can't really shop around for the best price/value for medical care because how can a non-doctor know what the likely billing code will be?<br/><br/>And given that there is really no way to know what the charge will be, how is it that hospitals and doctors can set completely arbitrary rates and people should be required to pay them? I've never understood how this is even legal. “Well, one way hospitals help insure that people can’t afford to pay is to use cash pay patients as a subsidy for insured payments and defaulters. This means that I, as a cash customer, pay 3 times what an insurance company pays for the same service.”

It’s worse than that where I’m from. The doctor who just analyzed my husband’s echocardiogram billed $760.00. The insurance company paid $79.27, with no co-pay. How can that be?

You can’t really shop around for the best price/value for medical care because how can a non-doctor know what the likely billing code will be?

And given that there is really no way to know what the charge will be, how is it that hospitals and doctors can set completely arbitrary rates and people should be required to pay them? I’ve never understood how this is even legal.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford.html#comment-78715 Anonymous Tue, 07 Aug 2007 22:56:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford-to-pay.html#comment-78715 Since a free market can not exist in emergency services, given the inability of the consumer to shop, I would be all for the minimally intrusive regulation that a hospital can charge it's cash customers no more than 120% of what they would collect from their largest non-government insurance provider with whom they contract. That way, the government isn't setting the price, the hospital still does that when it negotiates it's contracts, just regulating the premium charged to cash customers. The presumption here is that the hospital is not going to long maintain a non-profitable contract with it's largest customer as that is a financial impossibility, and therefore must be at least breaking even at those rates. Since a free market can not exist in emergency services, given the inability of the consumer to shop, I would be all for the minimally intrusive regulation that a hospital can charge it’s cash customers no more than 120% of what they would collect from their largest non-government insurance provider with whom they contract. That way, the government isn’t setting the price, the hospital still does that when it negotiates it’s contracts, just regulating the premium charged to cash customers. The presumption here is that the hospital is not going to long maintain a non-profitable contract with it’s largest customer as that is a financial impossibility, and therefore must be at least breaking even at those rates.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford.html#comment-78709 Anonymous Tue, 07 Aug 2007 20:38:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford-to-pay.html#comment-78709 <i>The moment you are no longer a cash-poaying patient, you will be screaming at your insurer to lower premiums by negotiating for lower rates. After all, it is a "BIG" insurer, with lots of patients, surely they can negotiate better and get you a lower premium, right?<br/><br/>Or will you volunteer for the policy that agrees NOT to negotiate for lower premiums?</i><br/><br/>Well, actually I support the **largest possible insurance pool**, aka universal healthcare. Frankly, being pooled in with everybody, including "sick people" (shudder) could actually increase what I pay (assuming I'd pay higher taxes in lieu of my self-pay and my high-deductable catastrophic policy) but I think it would be better for the US in general. Maybe then patients could be honest with their doctors rather than hiding conditions they think might cause them to be denied health coverage in the future. The moment you are no longer a cash-poaying patient, you will be screaming at your insurer to lower premiums by negotiating for lower rates. After all, it is a “BIG” insurer, with lots of patients, surely they can negotiate better and get you a lower premium, right?

Or will you volunteer for the policy that agrees NOT to negotiate for lower premiums?

Well, actually I support the **largest possible insurance pool**, aka universal healthcare. Frankly, being pooled in with everybody, including “sick people” (shudder) could actually increase what I pay (assuming I’d pay higher taxes in lieu of my self-pay and my high-deductable catastrophic policy) but I think it would be better for the US in general. Maybe then patients could be honest with their doctors rather than hiding conditions they think might cause them to be denied health coverage in the future.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford.html#comment-78708 Anonymous Tue, 07 Aug 2007 20:03:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/08/hospitals-struggle-over-who-can-afford-to-pay.html#comment-78708 To the last poster:<br/><br/>The moment you are no longer a cash-poaying patient, you will be screaming at your insurer to lower premiums by negotiating for lower rates. After all, it is a "BIG" insurer, with lots of patients, surely they can negotiate better and get you a lower premium, right?<br/><br/>Or will you volunteer for the policy that agrees NOT to negotiate for lower premiums? To the last poster:

The moment you are no longer a cash-poaying patient, you will be screaming at your insurer to lower premiums by negotiating for lower rates. After all, it is a “BIG” insurer, with lots of patients, surely they can negotiate better and get you a lower premium, right?

Or will you volunteer for the policy that agrees NOT to negotiate for lower premiums?

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