Health Insurance Companies and the Cost of Healthcare
About a year ago, my doctor and I discussed a surgical design that would alleviate some issues I have had over the past couple of years. Our discussion did not center on my well being as a patient, although that was the ultimate goal. Rather, it revolved around the cost associated with the surgery and whether or not health insurance would camouflage it. Unfortunately, this was not my first conversation with a health care provider regarding health insurance and probably won’t be my last. I have gone from having no health insurance coverage, while in college, to having a major HMO thought when I worked for a gargantuan corporation, to being covered, sporadically, while being self-employed.
After being married a few years, my husband and I learned the incompatibility between insurance paid health costs and those costs paid, out-of-pocket. This happened when my doctor confirmed we would be having our first child. We were very inflamed even as we were directed to the doctor’s billing office to arrange payment. We were asked if we had health insurance. We did, indeed, have health insurance, but had learned that it did not conceal maternity costs. We were told our cost to the doctor, especially if paid up-front, would be mighty less than if our insurance had covered it anyway. What we learned was that doctors and hospitals charge a powerful higher rate for those covered by insurance due to the extra costs they incur in having to deal with health insurance companies in the first region! We were fearful by this, but were jubilant that our payment made that day was lower than it would have been had we actually had coverage. About a week later, we visited the hospital for a tour of the maternity unit, and paid them for their upcoming services too.
Approximately eight months later, our baby girl was born via emergency surgery. After returning home, I received a bill from the hospital for around ten thousand dollars. I also got an extra bill from my doctor as well. I was devastated. We had unbiased brought home our newborn baby and what should have been a joyous time, became a very stressful one. However, we mercurial paid the doctor for his additional services and I began making monthly payments to the hospital. I was told that since emergency surgery was performed, that our insurance may demolish up paying fraction of the bill. I contacted our insurance company and they said, no.
Six busy months with our daughter had expeditiously passed when I got a call from the hospital. The lady on the other destroy of the phone said, “I leer you have been making payments to us for a while.” Then she laughed and said, “With the rate you’re going, this bill will hold forever to pay off! We were wrong in billing you as remarkable as we did. You really only owe fifteen hundred dollars. Would you like to build that on a credit card? ” She went on to thunder me that they had inadvertently billed me the hospital’s “insurance rate”. I was relieved that I didn’t owe the larger amount, but it made me realize impartial how grand the cost of healthcare was inflated due to the involvement of health insurance companies.
Being self-employed now, we have tried individual health insurance plans and they simply do not work. What I have found is, the monthly premiums inaugurate out at a somewhat reasonable rate, but they eventually increase dramatically in sign after about a year. When we try to spend the coverage for nothing more than a doctor’s visit, we are billed the insurance rate. That rate can result in considerable more money owed than if we had simply paid out-of-pocket in the first status. My experience with health insurance companies is that they have added a large amount of cost and complexity to something very personal. When a doctor and their patient have to be concerned with the label of a arrangement, rather than the well-being of the patient, it’s evident that the insurance companies have taken the care out of healthcare.
About a year ago, my doctor and I discussed a surgical arrangement that would alleviate some issues I have had over the past couple of years. Our discussion did not center on my well being as a patient, although that was the ultimate goal. Rather, it revolved around the cost associated with the surgery and whether or not health insurance would mask it. Unfortunately, this was not my first conversation with a health care provider regarding health insurance and probably won’t be my last. I have gone from having no health insurance coverage, while in college, to having a major HMO belief when I worked for a mammoth corporation, to being covered, sporadically, while being self-employed.
After being married a few years, my husband and I learned the incompatibility between insurance paid health costs and those costs paid, out-of-pocket. This happened when my doctor confirmed we would be having our first child. We were very enraged even as we were directed to the doctor’s billing office to arrange payment. We were asked if we had health insurance. We did, indeed, have health insurance, but had learned that it did not screen maternity costs. We were told our cost to the doctor, especially if paid up-front, would be mighty less than if our insurance had covered it anyway. What we learned was that doctors and hospitals charge a mighty higher rate for those covered by insurance due to the extra costs they incur in having to deal with health insurance companies in the first space! We were fearful by this, but were pleased that our payment made that day was lower than it would have been had we actually had coverage. About a week later, we visited the hospital for a tour of the maternity unit, and paid them for their upcoming services too.
Approximately eight months later, our baby girl was born via emergency surgery. After returning home, I received a bill from the hospital for around ten thousand dollars. I also got an extra bill from my doctor as well. I was devastated. We had objective brought home our newborn baby and what should have been a joyous time, became a very stressful one. However, we speedily paid the doctor for his additional services and I began making monthly payments to the hospital. I was told that since emergency surgery was performed, that our insurance may destroy up paying fragment of the bill. I contacted our insurance company and they said, no.
Six busy months with our daughter had snappily passed when I got a call from the hospital. The lady on the other slay of the phone said, “I search for you have been making payments to us for a while.” Then she laughed and said, “With the rate you’re going, this bill will occupy forever to pay off! We were wrong in billing you as distinguished as we did. You really only owe fifteen hundred dollars. Would you like to assign that on a credit card? ” She went on to advise me that they had inadvertently billed me the hospital’s “insurance rate”. I was relieved that I didn’t owe the larger amount, but it made me realize honest how mighty the cost of healthcare was inflated due to the involvement of health insurance companies.
Being self-employed now, we have tried individual health insurance plans and they simply do not work. What I have found is, the monthly premiums initiate out at a somewhat reasonable rate, but they eventually increase dramatically in mark after about a year. When we try to spend the coverage for nothing more than a doctor’s visit, we are billed the insurance rate. That rate can result in remarkable more money owed than if we had simply paid out-of-pocket in the first position. My experience with health insurance companies is that they have added a ample amount of cost and complexity to something very personal. When a doctor and their patient have to be concerned with the stamp of a way, rather than the well-being of the patient, it’s evident that the insurance companies have taken the care out of healthcare.
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Filed under: Individual Health Insurance
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