4 ms·

The sooner we eliminate the insurance middlemen the better. Thankfully a bunch of cash-only networks are spreading.

munk-a 3y ago
Eliminating insurance would certainly help at this point - UHC alone is a wonderful proof of just how horrible that road is... but fee-for-service care directly paid for by customers needs to go. A reasonable level of healthcare is important and should be accessible to everyone.
- wernercd 3y ago
  Something that requires the service of others isn't a "right". you have a right to be free. Right to self defense. Right to free speech. You don't have a right to the services of others.
  - munk-a 3y ago
    I would just briefly point out that all three rights you've listed require the assistance and consent of those around you.
    - saulpw 3y ago
      I don't think the parent is correct in dismissing healthcare as a right, but to be fair, the rights they listed are 'passive' rights. They only require the state to not get in your way. e.g. you don't have a right to arms, you have a right to bear arms. If you can't get the weapons themselves there's absolutely no requirement for the government to give you some.
  - orange-mentor 3y ago
    Who said anything about rights? We just want health care to be free at the site of service and funded by taxes. Just like fire fighters, police, etc. Every other western country does it that way, and none of them are clamoring to build a system like the USA currently has.
    - pauldenton 3y ago
      What about the right to bear arms. Do you want guns to be free at the site of service and funded by taxes? Just like a Militia giving away uniforms and long arms?
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
- salad-tycoon 3y ago
  So we should eliminate insurance but replace it with insurance? I pay directly for my services when I can, have a subscription to a local “concierge doctor” or direct patient care. No I am not a Silicon Valley bro, with the amount of kids I have I’m practically 200% above poverty line. I have “great” insurance and still do this. It can be done. I know insurance intimately and it’s a terrible deal with poorly aligned incentives (for patients). I think removing any and all possible middle men will significantly decrease the corruption factor and waste factor. I don’t need 3 levels of coding reviewer bosses, support staff, adjusters, Blah blah blah to check my visit codes when I am the one responsible for ensuring what I ordered is what is delivered. I also participate in an HSA and have been appreciating this idea and if anything think it should be increased, more tax breaks and more money directly to people.
edgyquant 3y ago
I went to zoomcare recently, which is a clinic that does cash and/or insurance. They claim that without insurance the max for a simple visit is $200. With insurance they charged me over $300, a hundred more than people without coverage. When I asked how that was possible they laughed and said. “You know how insurance companies are.” No the fuck I don’t. How can they get away with charging more for someone with coverage than without? What exactly is the point of my insurance if that’s the case?
- codegeek 3y ago
  Hence the "middleman mafia" that health insurance is. Can't wait for it to die
- knicholes 3y ago
  Hospitals are now required to publish prices for standard procedures. I was looking at differences in prices for insured vs uninsured, and in one case, it was like 25x difference.
- gehwartzen 3y ago
  I imagine the actual amount insurance pays out to the practice some amount less than 200$ per visit. Then there’s the overhead for staff having to submit claims and waiting 90+ days to get payed.
- erikerikson 3y ago
  Insurance companies insist they need to pay some smaller portion of the charges. They expect that getting paid through them you will give them a discount. Raising the insurance charge until insurers pay the same amount as the direct pay clients makes sense as a business. After all, dealing with insurance companies increased costs through increased overhead.
- DavidPeiffer 3y ago
  I haven't been able to verify, but I was once told at an optometrist or dentist office that they were prohibited from having a different rate for private pay than insurance. Not sure if it was a contractual obligation with insurance companies, a law on the books, or a misunderstanding by the employee.

Eliminating insurance would certainly help at this point - UHC alone is a wonderful proof of just how horrible that road is... but fee-for-service care directly paid for by customers needs to go. A reasonable level of healthcare is important and should be accessible to everyone.

wernercd 3y ago
Something that requires the service of others isn't a "right". you have a right to be free. Right to self defense. Right to free speech. You don't have a right to the services of others.
- munk-a 3y ago
  I would just briefly point out that all three rights you've listed require the assistance and consent of those around you.
  - saulpw 3y ago
    I don't think the parent is correct in dismissing healthcare as a right, but to be fair, the rights they listed are 'passive' rights. They only require the state to not get in your way. e.g. you don't have a right to arms, you have a right to bear arms. If you can't get the weapons themselves there's absolutely no requirement for the government to give you some.
- orange-mentor 3y ago
  Who said anything about rights? We just want health care to be free at the site of service and funded by taxes. Just like fire fighters, police, etc. Every other western country does it that way, and none of them are clamoring to build a system like the USA currently has.
  - pauldenton 3y ago
    What about the right to bear arms. Do you want guns to be free at the site of service and funded by taxes? Just like a Militia giving away uniforms and long arms?
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
salad-tycoon 3y ago
So we should eliminate insurance but replace it with insurance? I pay directly for my services when I can, have a subscription to a local “concierge doctor” or direct patient care. No I am not a Silicon Valley bro, with the amount of kids I have I’m practically 200% above poverty line. I have “great” insurance and still do this. It can be done. I know insurance intimately and it’s a terrible deal with poorly aligned incentives (for patients). I think removing any and all possible middle men will significantly decrease the corruption factor and waste factor. I don’t need 3 levels of coding reviewer bosses, support staff, adjusters, Blah blah blah to check my visit codes when I am the one responsible for ensuring what I ordered is what is delivered. I also participate in an HSA and have been appreciating this idea and if anything think it should be increased, more tax breaks and more money directly to people.

edgyquant 3y ago

I went to zoomcare recently, which is a clinic that does cash and/or insurance. They claim that without insurance the max for a simple visit is $200. With insurance they charged me over $300, a hundred more than people without coverage. When I asked how that was possible they laughed and said. “You know how insurance companies are.” No the fuck I don’t. How can they get away with charging more for someone with coverage than without? What exactly is the point of my insurance if that’s the case?

codegeek 3y ago
Hence the "middleman mafia" that health insurance is. Can't wait for it to die
knicholes 3y ago
Hospitals are now required to publish prices for standard procedures. I was looking at differences in prices for insured vs uninsured, and in one case, it was like 25x difference.
gehwartzen 3y ago
I imagine the actual amount insurance pays out to the practice some amount less than 200$ per visit. Then there’s the overhead for staff having to submit claims and waiting 90+ days to get payed.
erikerikson 3y ago
Insurance companies insist they need to pay some smaller portion of the charges. They expect that getting paid through them you will give them a discount. Raising the insurance charge until insurers pay the same amount as the direct pay clients makes sense as a business. After all, dealing with insurance companies increased costs through increased overhead.
DavidPeiffer 3y ago
I haven't been able to verify, but I was once told at an optometrist or dentist office that they were prohibited from having a different rate for private pay than insurance. Not sure if it was a contractual obligation with insurance companies, a law on the books, or a misunderstanding by the employee.