Posted on 04/29/2025 4:51:25 AM PDT by Red Badger
The absolute state of things.
https://x.com/i/status/1916677603299414361
Insurance is a scam. Cancel it. pic.twitter.com/wccD3V51YS— James Li (@5149jamesli) April 28, 2025
Customer: 'I think there's a mistake on the bill ... we got a bill and then we realized that you guys didn't have our insurance, so we sent you our insurance and it looks like the bill went UP.'
Agent: 'It went up?'
Customer: 'Yeah, the first bill we got without the insurance was 600 bucks, and then the second one was almost 1300 bucks.'
Agent: 'Yeah so the first invoice you received, that's a discount you received if you're uninsured, so you're not eligible for the discount because you are insured. So the bill was $2,342.14. We billed your insurance; your insurance only paid $1,078.85.
Customer: 'Can I go back to the discount without the insurance?'
Agent: 'No sir, you're insured, so you're not eligible for the discount.'
As far as I know, it’s the doctor.
Some will accept the insurance payment as paid in full; others won’t.
My favorite example: When I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, I bought a CPAP from the doctor recommended medical supply house using my insurance. Total cost of the CPAP was $2500. I paid $500 for my deductible, then 80% of the remainder - total out of pocket about $660. When I bought a replacement years later, I bought direct from a CPAP website for around $700. So in my original transaction about $1800 disappeared down the medical cost hole. I didn’t pay it direct, but my premiums paid it indirectly.
About 20 years ago, an eye doctor told me that, if a patient had no insurance, he’d charge $5 for a visit. He said insured patients cost him much more because he needs an office staff to process the paperwork.
JMHO - The main reason we need insurance is for catastrophic health events. I knew a family who had no insurance, and they lost their house when one parent needed cancer treatment.
But the little things, like checkups, probably would cost us less without insurance.
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