3 ms·

You've been making great arguments. I appreciate them. However, why not order the device from Germany yourself? Are there stringent regulations in place that pr

You've been making great arguments. I appreciate them. However, why not order the device from Germany yourself? Are there stringent regulations in place that prevent customers from purchasing across state or even country lines?

dragontamer 7y ago
First, there's no reason for me to buy the device. I already own one (the one my doctor gave me), and I have no need for a 2nd (yet). So... why did I buy it from my doctor at first? Well, because the doctor said I needed one. I setup an appointment with the nurse, who then gave me the device. A week later, I got a bill for $1000. Shocked at the price of the device, I ended up doing research. $500 is the cheapest I could find it in the USA, and if I include doctor fees + nurse fees, it is "reasonable" that they would mark it up a few hundred dollars above that. In any case, I already "bought" the device before I realized. So I don't think I really have any choice aside from paying the bill. I'll try to buy it straight from Germany in the future. But I didn't even know the name of the device until after I got it from the nurse. I'm kinda new to this whole doctor / taking care of my health thing. But I'm just sharing my experience with everyone, so maybe other people can learn from my mistakes. My general presumption was that my insurance company would be improving the cost-efficacy of the overall system. Apparently not however. Now, its just a $1000, and now I'm over my yearly deductible, so I've basically got free health-care for the rest of the year because of this. (So I don't consider this a big financial mistake, even if it cost $1000. Its more proof that the insurance company is slacking in its job of efficiently pricing these medical devices I'm using...)
- linuxftw 7y ago
  Yeah, there's a multitude of issues with the health insurance-scam system in the US. It's easy to get swindled in the health care industry. Brand-trust relationship dynamics don't say much about how things should be priced, but it does imply well-known and trusted brands will likely command a premium.

dragontamer 7y ago

First, there's no reason for me to buy the device. I already own one (the one my doctor gave me), and I have no need for a 2nd (yet). So... why did I buy it from my doctor at first? Well, because the doctor said I needed one. I setup an appointment with the nurse, who then gave me the device. A week later, I got a bill for $1000. Shocked at the price of the device, I ended up doing research. $500 is the cheapest I could find it in the USA, and if I include doctor fees + nurse fees, it is "reasonable" that they would mark it up a few hundred dollars above that. In any case, I already "bought" the device before I realized. So I don't think I really have any choice aside from paying the bill. I'll try to buy it straight from Germany in the future. But I didn't even know the name of the device until after I got it from the nurse. I'm kinda new to this whole doctor / taking care of my health thing. But I'm just sharing my experience with everyone, so maybe other people can learn from my mistakes. My general presumption was that my insurance company would be improving the cost-efficacy of the overall system. Apparently not however. Now, its just a $1000, and now I'm over my yearly deductible, so I've basically got free health-care for the rest of the year because of this. (So I don't consider this a big financial mistake, even if it cost $1000. Its more proof that the insurance company is slacking in its job of efficiently pricing these medical devices I'm using...)

linuxftw 7y ago
Yeah, there's a multitude of issues with the health insurance-scam system in the US. It's easy to get swindled in the health care industry. Brand-trust relationship dynamics don't say much about how things should be priced, but it does imply well-known and trusted brands will likely command a premium.