Medical Insurance

I just received a bill for a minor visit to see a hearing specialist - when the insurance company would not pick it up, the doctor voluntarily wrote off some of the cost.

I have also heard stories of hospitals and doctors reducing the cost of procedures by as much as 2/3rds, if the patient wants to pay in cash and not go through the lengthy insurance underwriting process.

I went to the emergency room in July after an injury on the soccer field - I am still trying to figure out the insurance claim forms, the denial of payment forms, the refiled claim forms, the subrogation and cost containment forms and it is now December. On a positive note maybe I can stretch some of the costs into 2009 to throw onto my 2009 wellness benefit from my employer.

The conclusion is: the health care system is broken. The doctor's are voluntarily willing to take cuts in pay and write down service costs if the insurance companies are not involved, most likely because the health care industry spends a huge chunk of their revenue pushing paper. Doctors and health administrators would never write costs down to an unsustainable level! I can only assumed that they are writing it down to a level which reimburses actual cost with some percent return. I'm sure the finance departments of major health providers aren't sitting in meetings saying "Let's take a loss if we don't involve the insurance companies." Oh and for all you we-have-the-best-health-care-system-in-the-world folks who claim that a single payer system would lead to a reduction in covered health care services, have you ever tried to get the insurance company to pay for a service rendered? - I can't see how we could reduce the specter of non-payment any further through phantom denial of service forms or shear inefficiencies in the current process (and I feel like I have a great health care plan - $400 deductible, 80/20 split for a pretty lengthy list of services)

So the question from here: Can a single payer system match or beat the insurance company in needless paper pushing and rejection of claims/services? I'm not sure, but I bet they could come close. And for doctors - you might then have more patients to treat.