[gcruse]

I had a stent put in last year, spending one night in the hospital. The bill came to $40,000.

I am self-pay, so I paid cash.

Because I paid cash, they knocked $10,000 off the bill.

What that tells me is insurance claim handling drives up the cost of health care by a third.

[GregoryFul]

The dirty little secret is that the insurance companies typically pay 1/10th of the hospital bill - a private payer is screwed - you have to use a medical plan to get anywhere near ordinary, usual, and customary charges for hospital service.

[dervish]

Guess again.

If the insurance company had covered the bill it probably would have paid 75% or more less per their contract with hospital and doctors.