5 ms·
I had to go to the corporate owned emergency room recently. They told me that as an uninsured person my discount was 70%. They wouldn't tell me what the insured
by red-indian 7y ago
I had to go to the corporate owned emergency room recently. They told me that as an uninsured person my discount was 70%. They wouldn't tell me what the insured discount was even though I asked. For 5 minutes with the doctor and there's nothing we can do today follow up with you GP doctor tomorrow or ASAP, the bill was only $145.50, discounted from $485.
The follow up with my doctor during weekday hours was $70.
- woofyman 7y agoI was badly bitten by a dog. The ambulance took me to a trauma center that was out-of-network. The retail cost of my 6 hour stay was $11,800. This didn’t include the ER doctor and radiologist. My insurance covered only $2800 of the $11,800 (what they considered reasonable). I have a $7900 deductible. Since they were out-of-network, the hospital could have billed me for the entire amount (balance billing). Happily they reduced the charge to $1000.00
- conductr 7y agoI once paid $1000 because my wife had to basically go to the ER for an antibiotic prescription. You know, when you already know you have a upper respiratory infection, but you required to see the doctor. They wouldn’t negotiate with me. So don’t rely on this in the future.
- jilles 7y agoAs someone who moved to the US from the Netherlands, this scares me.
- zepolen 7y agoThis is honestly ridiculous and typical sales tactics. In the end you're happy to pay $1000 for a 6 hour stay... Anywhere else in the world if they tried asking $1000 for that they'd get laughed out of the room, $11,800? Heads would roll.
- conductr 7y agoThe sales tactic is to price things so high the insurers have not idea who is getting what discounts on what services. So the article here would actually come into play in this case
- woofyman 7y agoThe bite was to my abdomen so they had to do a CAT scan in case an internal organ was damaged. My care included a tetanus shot, intravenous liquids and antibiotics. So yes, I considered the $1000 reasonable. The ER doctor and radiologist were in-network so I paid the insurance negotiated price. All-in-all, the dog bite cost me $5000. The ambulance was $1800.
- zepolen 7y agoA 6 hour stay plus a few bios for $1000 is not reasonable. For that money you can get a week's care at a premium private hospital in Europe. An emergency ambulance costs 100 euro. I think America has been with an extortionate health care system for so long you guys are starting to consider it 'reasonable' It isn't. Let me put it another way. You can fly from America to Europe three times for $1800.
- woofyman 7y agoI considered it reasonable given our current horrible medical system. I want a single payer system.
- zepolen 7y agoThat requires ethical people to run and heavy enforcement otherwise it turns in to a corruption fest where doctors run their own private practices in addition to state funded and waiting lists run rampant forcing you to go private. What is needed is real competition in the health care sector - because at the moment the whole thing in America is a coalition/monopoly between insurance, pharma and health care companies with the sole intent of giving you no choice but to pay and say thank you.
- igravious 7y agoAnd you call yourself woofyman because of that? Or you always called yourself that and it's a terrible coincidence?
- CSactuary 7y agoUnder the ACA, in and out of network must have the same cost sharing for ER care. It’s the risk you run having such a high deductible plan. But I’m sure you’ve saved monthly by paying lower premiums for such a low coverage plan.
- red-indian 7y agoYou are responding to a post where he paid $7,900 for a $11,800 procedure. Under ACA Bronze, the worst plan, his copay should have been 40%. Is it your assertion that $7,900 is 40% of $11,800?
- CSactuary 7y ago? When you pay a % of the allowed amount that’s called coinsurance (not a copay). This is paid after deductible in most cases. So he would owe up to his deductible ($7,900) before his coinsurance would kick in. A minimum value ACA plan must have > 60% AV and cover the essential health benefits. The coinsurance % is irrelevant so long as it meets those requirements.