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Adding to this, if you have insurance most of the hospitals will jack up the prices. One of my friend did not have the insurance card, so the hospital billed X$

Adding to this, if you have insurance most of the hospitals will jack up the prices. One of my friend did not have the insurance card, so the hospital billed X$ and told him that if he later gives the insurance id they will charge them. He later called the hospital and gave the insurance details and he is charged (X+Y)$. Being the first time he got sick this year, he had to pay his entire deductible meaning he paid more because he HAD insurance.

phkahler 10y ago
IMHO providers should be required to charge the same price to all patients. That's not to say hospital X should pay the same as hospital Y, just that X needs to charge the same to all it's patients for a given service/procedure and Y needs to charge their own price for the same to all their patients. If you have insurance, then they need to be charged the same too. This would go a long way to promoting competition and price transparency.
- kmonsen 10y ago
  and maybe make those prices public?
- riahi 10y ago
  We are legally required to charge the same price to all patients. Specifically, we cannot charge less than we charge Medicare/Medicaid. Insurance companies are charged the same amount too; except, they negotiate a set reimbursement for a given service. Medicare/Medicaid does the same. Individuals are totally able to call up the financial services department of $LocalHospital and negotiate. In fact, if we accept insurance/Medicare/Medicaid and OFFER a cash discount to an uninsured patient, we are one whistleblower away from a Medicare Fraud investigation.
  - srini 10y ago
    Allowing differing reimbursement amounts seems pretty similar to charging different prices to different patients. Why not remove negotiation entirely and say price is X for all patients and you must reimburse 100%?
    - riahi 10y ago
      Is your hourly rate set to a certain price by a central body? Why should mine be?
      - subhobroto 10y ago
        TLDR: Stop capitalizing on suffering. The reason why people on this thread are complaining is not because they have a natural disposition against doctors: it's because they have been taken advantage of! Long post: Good point, except that get to see I see the invoice AFTER a service has been provided to me, sometimes MONTHS after the encounter EVEN AFTER SPECIFICALLY asking for an estimate upfront. If you know a provider who works otherwise, feel free to answer this question: https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-find-a-general-physician-in-San-Diego-who-is-known-for-helping-people https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-find-a-general-physician-in-S... No providers office I know of are willing to provide estimates to patients for procedures the same office requires the patients to be financially responsible for! The reality is that the provider is like a programmer who builds what I discussed with her to build only that I get a $10k bill AFTER THE FACT without having a say in whether I am OK with it or not and she just went ahead and did the project for me without even asking me if I wanted her to do it. If I don't pay, my credit will be trashed with a collection entry. This is unacceptable. I am not sure if you agree. Case in point: I went to a specialist to figure out the ringing in my ears. I made it clear to both the administrative staff and the doctor that I should be told of any charges outside the office visit fee before such a charge would be incurred. The specialist looked into my ears and said my ears looked fine and the ringing could be due to stress. A month later I got a $1500 bill for "in office surgery". Apparently, if a specialist inserts anything into my body, it's a surgery and billed in addition to an office visit fee. I do NOT believe this is proper. The provider took full advantage of my inconvenience. I am lucky it was a $1500 bill and not a $15000 bill. It could very well have been and I would have NO recourse. I am happy to pay your negotiated rate as long as you tell me what that rate is and how many hours you estimate it will cost me. What I am NOT happy to do is be forced to pay an amount that I had no say in the first place. Providers ARE exploiting their patients and getting away with it by placing the blame on the faceless insurance companies. Patients are not walking blank checkbooks. They are suffering and under pain and looking to you for a remedy. Providers have a right to make money. Providers DO NOT have a right to exploit.

phkahler 10y ago

IMHO providers should be required to charge the same price to all patients. That's not to say hospital X should pay the same as hospital Y, just that X needs to charge the same to all it's patients for a given service/procedure and Y needs to charge their own price for the same to all their patients. If you have insurance, then they need to be charged the same too. This would go a long way to promoting competition and price transparency.

kmonsen 10y ago
and maybe make those prices public?
riahi 10y ago
We are legally required to charge the same price to all patients. Specifically, we cannot charge less than we charge Medicare/Medicaid. Insurance companies are charged the same amount too; except, they negotiate a set reimbursement for a given service. Medicare/Medicaid does the same. Individuals are totally able to call up the financial services department of $LocalHospital and negotiate. In fact, if we accept insurance/Medicare/Medicaid and OFFER a cash discount to an uninsured patient, we are one whistleblower away from a Medicare Fraud investigation.
- srini 10y ago
  Allowing differing reimbursement amounts seems pretty similar to charging different prices to different patients. Why not remove negotiation entirely and say price is X for all patients and you must reimburse 100%?
  - riahi 10y ago
    Is your hourly rate set to a certain price by a central body? Why should mine be?
    - subhobroto 10y ago
      TLDR: Stop capitalizing on suffering. The reason why people on this thread are complaining is not because they have a natural disposition against doctors: it's because they have been taken advantage of! Long post: Good point, except that get to see I see the invoice AFTER a service has been provided to me, sometimes MONTHS after the encounter EVEN AFTER SPECIFICALLY asking for an estimate upfront. If you know a provider who works otherwise, feel free to answer this question: https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-find-a-general-physician-in-San-Diego-who-is-known-for-helping-people https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-find-a-general-physician-in-S... No providers office I know of are willing to provide estimates to patients for procedures the same office requires the patients to be financially responsible for! The reality is that the provider is like a programmer who builds what I discussed with her to build only that I get a $10k bill AFTER THE FACT without having a say in whether I am OK with it or not and she just went ahead and did the project for me without even asking me if I wanted her to do it. If I don't pay, my credit will be trashed with a collection entry. This is unacceptable. I am not sure if you agree. Case in point: I went to a specialist to figure out the ringing in my ears. I made it clear to both the administrative staff and the doctor that I should be told of any charges outside the office visit fee before such a charge would be incurred. The specialist looked into my ears and said my ears looked fine and the ringing could be due to stress. A month later I got a $1500 bill for "in office surgery". Apparently, if a specialist inserts anything into my body, it's a surgery and billed in addition to an office visit fee. I do NOT believe this is proper. The provider took full advantage of my inconvenience. I am lucky it was a $1500 bill and not a $15000 bill. It could very well have been and I would have NO recourse. I am happy to pay your negotiated rate as long as you tell me what that rate is and how many hours you estimate it will cost me. What I am NOT happy to do is be forced to pay an amount that I had no say in the first place. Providers ARE exploiting their patients and getting away with it by placing the blame on the faceless insurance companies. Patients are not walking blank checkbooks. They are suffering and under pain and looking to you for a remedy. Providers have a right to make money. Providers DO NOT have a right to exploit.