Dr. Brian Forrest, from Apex, North Carolina, has been in his current practice since 2002. That may not seem all that surprising, until you consider that he's done it without accepting insurance. "People that come here that are uninsured save about 80 to 90 percent over what they traditionally would."
Sometimes the answer is so simple, no?
You know, I worked in a doctor's office for a few years and it never ceased to amaze me how the price would change for different people, and insurances. I did billing for a few months while the office manager was out on maternity leave and I tell you it was ABSOLUTELY dizzying. If you bill Medicare it is this price, if you bill Preferred Care it is that price... Blue Cross and bullshit (I mean blue shield) won't pay for this so just drop the charge...etc, etc. It's crazy. Also, there are 3 tiers which a regular office visit is billed. Usually the highest price is sent to most insurance companies, the second to like say Medicare, and, the doctor's office pretty much accepts whatever comes back (which was typically 50-70%). People will no insurance are just charged the lowest tier (which, is less than half of the first tier). WTF? Isn't it the SAME service? Shouldn't there be ONE price? I've often wondered if I went without insurance and was only billed the lowest tier at my doctor's office if I would make out better than having the chunk taken out of my paycheck every week PLUS the $20 copay at the door?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. I've heard this more and more from people in the industry, and it's one of the reasons I can't support any of the government plans that have been proposed. It seems to me that what we would be doing is replacing the insurance companies with the government. The devil you know with the devil you know even better, so to speak. Without the insurance companies to intervene (and skim some funds off for themselves), I firmly believe prices would go down, and quality of care would go up. (Since the physicians would then be paid by the consumer, rather than the insurance company, there would be a lot more incentive to please the patient.) A good example would be LASIK surgery, which isn't (as far as I know) covered by insurance. The prices have gone down, while the quality has improved. For those who are willing to pay more, there are even choices for doctors who are using newer (and presumably better) equipment.
ReplyDeleteInsurance companies simply charge you to hold onto your money until you need it. Whatever you don't use, they keep. Shouldn't YOU be able to keep it? The fact that the government wants to insinuate itself even further into the health care system is just another indication of the nanny state we've become.