2 ms·

I still totally disagree with your narrative. There is no natural monopoly in health care. New hospitals continue to be built all the time. You can goto your CV

I still totally disagree with your narrative. There is no natural monopoly in health care. New hospitals continue to be built all the time. You can goto your CVS and see a doctor if you want. There are tons and tons of choices and competition. >the average consumer isn't in a position to evaluate the choices involved Why? Once again I completely disagree with this narrative as well.

pwinnski 7y ago
The narrative is accurate. There are many, many, many examples of people who go to a hospital and ask at every point whether the services being provided are "in-network" for their insurance company, and yet still find themselves being billed for "out-of-network" services because of some assistant to a doctor or someone who was consulted outside the patient's presence. It's a minefield, even for people with patience and a clear head, which doesn't describe the majority of people seeking medical care. A quick search turns up a few examples: - http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2019-01-20/wondering-why-you-got-unexpected-out-network-medical-bill.html http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2019-01-20/wondering-... - https://www.consumerreports.org/health-insurance/states-work-to-limit-out-of-network-medical-bills/ https://www.consumerreports.org/health-insurance/states-work... - https://www.prlog.org/12766040-hbma-adopts-policy-framework-for-unexpected-out-of-network-medical-bills.html https://www.prlog.org/12766040-hbma-adopts-policy-framework-... This is a very common issue, so common it is receiving legislative attention.
- krupan 7y ago
  Everyone agrees that this is a problem. The debate is about how to solve the problem. One side says, "the government should just make our decisions for us." The other side says, "the government should intervene enough so that consumers have the information they need to make informed decisions on their own."
  - pwinnski 7y ago
    Everyone agrees that this is a problem... apparently excepting the commenter to whom I was responding. Oversimplifications don't serve anyone, and mischaracterizations are unhelpful and unwelcome.

pwinnski 7y ago

The narrative is accurate. There are many, many, many examples of people who go to a hospital and ask at every point whether the services being provided are "in-network" for their insurance company, and yet still find themselves being billed for "out-of-network" services because of some assistant to a doctor or someone who was consulted outside the patient's presence. It's a minefield, even for people with patience and a clear head, which doesn't describe the majority of people seeking medical care. A quick search turns up a few examples: - http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2019-01-20/wondering-why-you-got-unexpected-out-network-medical-bill.html http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2019-01-20/wondering-... - https://www.consumerreports.org/health-insurance/states-work-to-limit-out-of-network-medical-bills/ https://www.consumerreports.org/health-insurance/states-work... - https://www.prlog.org/12766040-hbma-adopts-policy-framework-for-unexpected-out-of-network-medical-bills.html https://www.prlog.org/12766040-hbma-adopts-policy-framework-... This is a very common issue, so common it is receiving legislative attention.

krupan 7y ago
Everyone agrees that this is a problem. The debate is about how to solve the problem. One side says, "the government should just make our decisions for us." The other side says, "the government should intervene enough so that consumers have the information they need to make informed decisions on their own."
- pwinnski 7y ago
  Everyone agrees that this is a problem... apparently excepting the commenter to whom I was responding. Oversimplifications don't serve anyone, and mischaracterizations are unhelpful and unwelcome.