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Seeing a specialist at a decent hospital can cost you over a week's paycheck out of pocket just for an introductory 15 minute meet and greet. It isn't so much

Seeing a specialist at a decent hospital can cost you over a week's paycheck out of pocket just for an introductory 15 minute meet and greet. It isn't so much as 'waiting' as having no other option/getting stuck in some system where you've got no viable way to really figure out the cause of your symptoms. Not to mention the 55-65 age range seems to be particularly bad for for disposable income.

thrower123 6y ago
With insurance, even. So many of even the "good" insurance policies have two or three thousand dollar deductibles, and things like specialists often get into byzantine co-insurance percentages.
- ihumanable 6y ago
  I have great insurance, every trip to the doctor is a fun waiting game as you get bill after bill in the mail for seemingly random amounts, by organization you've never heard of. Hmm... I went to Dr. Smith, I just got a bill from Sunshine Medical Associates for $37.82 and another bill from Kweil, Zatack, and Yttrium Health Services for $17.89 I guess I could call this number, spend an hour on hold, talk to someone, have them ask me if I know the procedure's billing code, go, "I have no idea what the billing code is" have them treat me like an idiot or skip that part and end up paying the bill because in the long run $17.89 is a small price to pay to not have your credit ruined. I recently called my insurance to check on out-of-network coverage for something they have no providers for, it is covered at 70% after a $750 deductible, but only up to the "Allowable Price." I asked them what the "Allowable Price" was for this procedure, and they responded that they couldn't provide that. Odd, it seems like when they go to bill me they will know that number, but I'm not allowed to know it before I submit the bill for reimbursement. Even if you spend a huge amount of time up front ticking off boxes and patiently being passed from one CSR to another, you can't figure out what anything is going to cost.
  - mbg721 6y ago
    When people from the future look back, they'll call this sort of thing "corruption". This isn't the result of a free-market medical system, or a largely-socialist-at-different-points-but-not-here medical system, or any medical system at all; it's just a cynical way for the middlemen to make a few bucks, and as long as that's the incentive, nothing will get fixed for the sick person who needs healthcare.
krooj 6y ago
I went through this. Needed to see a vascular specialist at Stanford while I was still stuck with Kaiser's HMO. $1000 for ~15 minutes.
- vimy 6y ago
  Does anyone know how much of that $1000 goes to the specialist?
  - Gibbon1 6y ago
    About your co-pay
    - skrebbel 6y ago
      Where does the rest go?
      - Gibbon1 6y ago
        I think about 30% is consumed simply by billing.
      - tsjq 6y ago
        To the so many MBAs , admins, lenders, shareholders, clerks, hospital CEOs, janitors, nurses, et al who need to be paid.
- blendo 6y ago
  Personally, we’ve been happy with Kaiser, so I’ll ask for more details. Was it that Kaiser wouldn’t refer you? Or did you want a second opinion?
  - krooj 6y ago
    I had an ipsilateral recurrent DVT in my left leg. Kaiser failed on so many levels: at the ER I should've been treated with some kind of thrombolysis or mechanical thrombectomy, but was only offered Lovenox and Pradaxa. The internal medicine physician I had failed to refer me to a specialist for follow up, and without care and investigation, I developed post thrombotic syndrome in that leg, which means I spend the rest of my life in some degree of pain with the possibility of developing ulcers. The specialist I went to see at Stanford, Lawrence Hofmann, was very clear that had I presented within the first two weeks, he could have simply removed the clot, but since I saw him 5 months after the event, the thrombus was chronic and wouldn't respond to treatment. In the end, I had to leave the USA and get a proper diagnosis by surgeons in Italy: turns out I had a congenital compression of my left iliac vein which was causing the clotting and a stent was placed to open the vein.

thrower123 6y ago

With insurance, even. So many of even the "good" insurance policies have two or three thousand dollar deductibles, and things like specialists often get into byzantine co-insurance percentages.

ihumanable 6y ago
I have great insurance, every trip to the doctor is a fun waiting game as you get bill after bill in the mail for seemingly random amounts, by organization you've never heard of. Hmm... I went to Dr. Smith, I just got a bill from Sunshine Medical Associates for $37.82 and another bill from Kweil, Zatack, and Yttrium Health Services for $17.89 I guess I could call this number, spend an hour on hold, talk to someone, have them ask me if I know the procedure's billing code, go, "I have no idea what the billing code is" have them treat me like an idiot or skip that part and end up paying the bill because in the long run $17.89 is a small price to pay to not have your credit ruined. I recently called my insurance to check on out-of-network coverage for something they have no providers for, it is covered at 70% after a $750 deductible, but only up to the "Allowable Price." I asked them what the "Allowable Price" was for this procedure, and they responded that they couldn't provide that. Odd, it seems like when they go to bill me they will know that number, but I'm not allowed to know it before I submit the bill for reimbursement. Even if you spend a huge amount of time up front ticking off boxes and patiently being passed from one CSR to another, you can't figure out what anything is going to cost.
- mbg721 6y ago
  When people from the future look back, they'll call this sort of thing "corruption". This isn't the result of a free-market medical system, or a largely-socialist-at-different-points-but-not-here medical system, or any medical system at all; it's just a cynical way for the middlemen to make a few bucks, and as long as that's the incentive, nothing will get fixed for the sick person who needs healthcare.

krooj 6y ago

I went through this. Needed to see a vascular specialist at Stanford while I was still stuck with Kaiser's HMO. $1000 for ~15 minutes.

vimy 6y ago
Does anyone know how much of that $1000 goes to the specialist?
- Gibbon1 6y ago
  About your co-pay
  - skrebbel 6y ago
    Where does the rest go?
    - Gibbon1 6y ago
      I think about 30% is consumed simply by billing.
    - tsjq 6y ago
      To the so many MBAs , admins, lenders, shareholders, clerks, hospital CEOs, janitors, nurses, et al who need to be paid.
blendo 6y ago
Personally, we’ve been happy with Kaiser, so I’ll ask for more details. Was it that Kaiser wouldn’t refer you? Or did you want a second opinion?
- krooj 6y ago
  I had an ipsilateral recurrent DVT in my left leg. Kaiser failed on so many levels: at the ER I should've been treated with some kind of thrombolysis or mechanical thrombectomy, but was only offered Lovenox and Pradaxa. The internal medicine physician I had failed to refer me to a specialist for follow up, and without care and investigation, I developed post thrombotic syndrome in that leg, which means I spend the rest of my life in some degree of pain with the possibility of developing ulcers. The specialist I went to see at Stanford, Lawrence Hofmann, was very clear that had I presented within the first two weeks, he could have simply removed the clot, but since I saw him 5 months after the event, the thrombus was chronic and wouldn't respond to treatment. In the end, I had to leave the USA and get a proper diagnosis by surgeons in Italy: turns out I had a congenital compression of my left iliac vein which was causing the clotting and a stent was placed to open the vein.