NYT: Getting Lost in the Labyrinth of Medical Bills

jolepp · 06-24-2012, 04:04 AM

Quote:

...
With so little pricing information available, expecting people to shop around for quality care at the lowest cost — something that’s not always possible in emergency situations — is also asking a lot of consumers. “I have always found a bit cruel the much-mouthed suggestion that patients should have ‘more skin in the game’ and ‘shop around for cost-effective health care’ in the health care market,” said Uwe E. Reinhardt, a health policy expert and professor at Princeton University, “when patients have so little information easily available on prices and quality to those things.”
...
Then, when the $132,000 hospital bill came, the patient was told he owed $9,200 and it had to be paid in 10 days. As it turns out, only one of the insurers had paid its share, which was hard to decipher from the bill. Ultimately, the patient only owed $164.99. “There were three explanation of benefits from Blue Cross Blue Shield, each with an different amount due,” she said, ranging from about $164 to $81,900. “How’s that for confusion?”

All told, Ms. Poole spent about 96 hours dissecting each bill, line by line, comparing it with the providers’ medical records and keeping track of it all in a complex spreadsheet.

“It’s a broken system,” she said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/your-money/health-insurance/navigating-the...our-money.html

**grhazelton** · 06-24-2012, 03:17 PM

A broken system? Well .... yes. We Americans all recognize this. Well, most of us do. "ObamaCare" is at least an attempt to fix the mess. I have yet to hear any substantive response or plan from the opponents of ObamaCare. We've given the present system decades to "prove" itself, the only things truly proven are that insurers get richer, and that if you can't get onto a group plan through an employer AND if you have any sort of "pre existing" condition (how about adolescent acne??) your best bet might be a pre-paid funeral plan, because your chances of being able to be insured on the "free market" are somewhere between slim and nil.

How is it that the majority of the industrialized countries of the world are able to deliver superior health care to their citizens more inexpensively that the United States of America, the richest county in the history of mankind, can and we Americans can't? What's wrong with this picture? Granted, the US may have the finest care available, but if you can't afford it who cares?

**boriscleto** · 06-24-2012, 03:55 PM

Originally posted by grhazelton

I have yet to hear any substantive response or plan from the opponents of ObamaCare.

The Republicans have a very simple plan...

"Don't get sick. And if you do get sick DIE. And DIE quickly."

**grhazelton** · 06-25-2012, 04:51 AM

Originally posted by boriscleto

The Republicans have a very simple plan...

"Don't get sick. And if you do get sick DIE. And DIE quickly."

This is exactly what my wife says. She also says the Republicans used to endorse the Eskimo plan for the aged - float them away on an ice floe - but notes that the non-exsistant Global Warming is forcing a rethink, assuming that thinking is possible.

Nesster · 06-25-2012, 06:24 AM

Originally posted by grhazelton

This is exactly what my wife says. She also says the Republicans used to endorse the Eskimo plan for the aged - float them away on an ice floe - but notes that the non-exsistant Global Warming is forcing a rethink, assuming that thinking is possible.

Well, actually the aged would first get a voting card, then a give-away from the Republicans, then vote Republican, and then be off on the non-existent ice floe.

GeneV · 06-25-2012, 06:32 AM

On getting what you pay for and all the evils of socialized medicine, my recent routine colonoscopy comes to mind. It took months to schedule and the wait on the day of the procedure was 2 hours. All the effort went into the convenience of the provider. The medical group called three times AND had a personal interview before the procedure to make sure I remembered the appointment, had the proper insurance information, and did the prep. However, the final results were mailed to me on a form with handwritten checks by some ambiguous options which required several readings to understand. For a procedure which cost $3,000, it seems like one could get a little more attention on the back end (pardon the pun).

kswier · 06-25-2012, 02:48 PM

Originally posted by grhazelton

How is it that the majority of the industrialized countries of the world are able to deliver superior health care to their citizens more inexpensively that the United States of America, the richest county in the history of mankind, can and we Americans can't?

I think it is partially because we are rich. We can afford to spend more, so there is little motivation to make radical changes that would decrease the cost. I also think it may be partially due to the influence that money has in US politics. The medical industry is a huge and influential industry.

06-24-2012, 04:04 AM	#1
jolepp Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Finland Photos: Albums Posts: 3,196	NYT: Getting Lost in the Labyrinth of Medical Bills Quote: ... With so little pricing information available, expecting people to shop around for quality care at the lowest cost — something that’s not always possible in emergency situations — is also asking a lot of consumers. “I have always found a bit cruel the much-mouthed suggestion that patients should have ‘more skin in the game’ and ‘shop around for cost-effective health care’ in the health care market,” said Uwe E. Reinhardt, a health policy expert and professor at Princeton University, “when patients have so little information easily available on prices and quality to those things.” ... Then, when the $132,000 hospital bill came, the patient was told he owed $9,200 and it had to be paid in 10 days. As it turns out, only one of the insurers had paid its share, which was hard to decipher from the bill. Ultimately, the patient only owed $164.99. “There were three explanation of benefits from Blue Cross Blue Shield, each with an different amount due,” she said, ranging from about $164 to $81,900. “How’s that for confusion?” All told, Ms. Poole spent about 96 hours dissecting each bill, line by line, comparing it with the providers’ medical records and keeping track of it all in a complex spreadsheet. “It’s a broken system,” she said. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/your-money/health-insurance/navigating-the...our-money.html

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
CBC: Sarah Burke's family faces $550K medical bill	jolepp	General Talk	24	01-27-2012 01:28 PM
Pentax Medical Camera	minahasa	Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras	5	08-11-2011 02:47 PM
Misc 1997 Medical Mission	johnmflores	Post Your Photos!	9	09-30-2010 10:16 PM
Undocumented workers pay our bills ;)	jeffkrol	General Talk	30	09-06-2010 02:00 PM
To all you Physiotherapists and closet medical experts	daacon	General Talk	14	09-02-2010 11:37 AM

06-24-2012, 03:17 PM	#2
grhazelton Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Jonesboro, GA Photos: Albums Posts: 1,972	A broken system? Well .... yes. We Americans all recognize this. Well, most of us do. "ObamaCare" is at least an attempt to fix the mess. I have yet to hear any substantive response or plan from the opponents of ObamaCare. We've given the present system decades to "prove" itself, the only things truly proven are that insurers get richer, and that if you can't get onto a group plan through an employer AND if you have any sort of "pre existing" condition (how about adolescent acne??) your best bet might be a pre-paid funeral plan, because your chances of being able to be insured on the "free market" are somewhere between slim and nil. How is it that the majority of the industrialized countries of the world are able to deliver superior health care to their citizens more inexpensively that the United States of America, the richest county in the history of mankind, can and we Americans can't? What's wrong with this picture? Granted, the US may have the finest care available, but if you can't afford it who cares?

06-24-2012, 03:55 PM	#3
boriscleto Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: North Syracuse, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,475	Originally posted by grhazelton I have yet to hear any substantive response or plan from the opponents of ObamaCare. The Republicans have a very simple plan... "Don't get sick. And if you do get sick DIE. And DIE quickly."

06-25-2012, 04:51 AM	#4
grhazelton Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Jonesboro, GA Photos: Albums Posts: 1,972	Originally posted by boriscleto The Republicans have a very simple plan... "Don't get sick. And if you do get sick DIE. And DIE quickly." This is exactly what my wife says. She also says the Republicans used to endorse the Eskimo plan for the aged - float them away on an ice floe - but notes that the non-exsistant Global Warming is forcing a rethink, assuming that thinking is possible.

06-25-2012, 06:24 AM	#5
Nesster Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: NJ USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 13,072	Originally posted by grhazelton This is exactly what my wife says. She also says the Republicans used to endorse the Eskimo plan for the aged - float them away on an ice floe - but notes that the non-exsistant Global Warming is forcing a rethink, assuming that thinking is possible. Well, actually the aged would first get a voting card, then a give-away from the Republicans, then vote Republican, and then be off on the non-existent ice floe.

06-25-2012, 06:32 AM	#6
GeneV Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Albuquerque NM Photos: Albums Posts: 9,830	On getting what you pay for and all the evils of socialized medicine, my recent routine colonoscopy comes to mind. It took months to schedule and the wait on the day of the procedure was 2 hours. All the effort went into the convenience of the provider. The medical group called three times AND had a personal interview before the procedure to make sure I remembered the appointment, had the proper insurance information, and did the prep. However, the final results were mailed to me on a form with handwritten checks by some ambiguous options which required several readings to understand. For a procedure which cost $3,000, it seems like one could get a little more attention on the back end (pardon the pun).

06-25-2012, 02:48 PM	#7
kswier Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 426	Originally posted by grhazelton How is it that the majority of the industrialized countries of the world are able to deliver superior health care to their citizens more inexpensively that the United States of America, the richest county in the history of mankind, can and we Americans can't? I think it is partially because we are rich. We can afford to spend more, so there is little motivation to make radical changes that would decrease the cost. I also think it may be partially due to the influence that money has in US politics. The medical industry is a huge and influential industry.