“Proprietary pricing,” the price your insurance company negotiated on your behalf, yet you don't know how much if any of that price was “fair,” according to market standards. In many cases you are simply told to pay some odd percentage and a high deductible ....on top of your high insurance rate.
“But Jan Emerson-Shea, spokesman for the California Hospital Association, said patients simply can't bargain for hospital prices like they would for a car.” Well why the heck not Jan? Why can't I negotiate prices for medical care. The paragraph above clearly shows the disparity in pricing between service providers. As the ultimate consumer of said service, why should I not have the ability to negotiate?
I do understand Lee's position. It is one I hold myself...$12,000 a year for coverage that never seems to pay anything. Over the course of 5 years that is $60,000. That money invested...even more. So, suddenly there is an emergency? There's a good chunk of change sitting there for that rainy day. Over the course of 10 years with no major incidents...there will be more than double that. Again, how much is a catastrophic emergency?
They use the catastrophic emergency to scare consumers and then you buy policies with all the bell's & whistles. Under 0bamacare you can't buy just catastrophic coverage,...which oddly enough is the cheapest coverage to get!!!
Personally I think the best way to bring healthcare costs back into line is for people to drop and the bells & whistles coverages. The only insurance that should be offered is catastrophic.
Again, how much is a catastrophic emergency?
I had a heart cath. In the hospital less than 8 hours. Hospital bill....$17,000 plus. My wife spent three days in the hospital which included the weekend. One CT scan, nothing else, Hospital bill $14,000 plus. Neither cost included the doctors.
Catastrophic emergency? No Just Catastrophic expenses.
Eyes
When you get the final bill AFTER the insurance has paid all it’s going to pay, simply write a check to the provider in the amount of around 30% of the bill and do it with a paper check. On the memo write the account number and “paid in full”. They may call you and want a little more but I’ve never had to pay full prices.