3 ms·

Many doctors discount their care when providing it to people who don't have insurance to help them afford medical care. It's probably legal to make a claim lat

Many doctors discount their care when providing it to people who don't have insurance to help them afford medical care. It's probably legal to make a claim later, but you're effectively lying to the doctor so you can receive a charitable contribution. It's ok to do it if you don't mind feeling like a welfare fraudster.

toast0 6y ago
They may also discount their care if they get paid upfront and don't have to submit the claim and wait for reimbursement. But it might also violate their network agreement with the insurer to not do the submital?
thebooktocome 6y ago
It's not a charitable contribution; the doctor in this situation is unethically applying differential pricing.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- kinkrtyavimoodh 6y ago
  So it's unethical to charge less to a person who might not be able to afford the higher price? I think we have different definitions of the word ethical.
  - colejohnson66 6y ago
    It’s viewed as unethical to some because when you flip the script, it’s: “charge rich people more simply cause they’re rich”. Which isn’t a good argument, but it’s what I’ve heard.
    - kinkrtyavimoodh 6y ago
      But rich people are not charged because they are rich. They are charged because they have insurance. And it is insurance that has led to this bizarre situation where the free market is completely broken and you can't confidently put a price number to a medical product or service. If almost everyone was paying for their medical care out of their own pocket we would not be in this situation. And there are plenty of other countries where this is the case. In India for example, individual doctors literally have a board with a list of what they charge for various services, and if you visit a hospital, someone at the reception would be happy to help you with these. You want a general ward? Here's the price. You want a private air-conditioned room with five-star catered meals, here is the price.
franciscop 6y ago
You are paying more for your insurance because the doctors offer different prices to different people (since insurance prices follow cost). This likely locks some people out of insurance altogether.

toast0 6y ago

They may also discount their care if they get paid upfront and don't have to submit the claim and wait for reimbursement. But it might also violate their network agreement with the insurer to not do the submital?

thebooktocome 6y ago

It's not a charitable contribution; the doctor in this situation is unethically applying differential pricing.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
kinkrtyavimoodh 6y ago
So it's unethical to charge less to a person who might not be able to afford the higher price? I think we have different definitions of the word ethical.
- colejohnson66 6y ago
  It’s viewed as unethical to some because when you flip the script, it’s: “charge rich people more simply cause they’re rich”. Which isn’t a good argument, but it’s what I’ve heard.
  - kinkrtyavimoodh 6y ago
    But rich people are not charged because they are rich. They are charged because they have insurance. And it is insurance that has led to this bizarre situation where the free market is completely broken and you can't confidently put a price number to a medical product or service. If almost everyone was paying for their medical care out of their own pocket we would not be in this situation. And there are plenty of other countries where this is the case. In India for example, individual doctors literally have a board with a list of what they charge for various services, and if you visit a hospital, someone at the reception would be happy to help you with these. You want a general ward? Here's the price. You want a private air-conditioned room with five-star catered meals, here is the price.

franciscop 6y ago

You are paying more for your insurance because the doctors offer different prices to different people (since insurance prices follow cost). This likely locks some people out of insurance altogether.