I analyzed hospital price lists so you didn't have to

Post by dragonwriter » Thu, Jul 07, 2022, 2:47 AM UTC

throwawayarnty wrote: post #92

exabrial wrote: post #86

Where to start... 1. Somehow in the mid-2010s congress decided that anyway that walks onto private property, demands care from a private organization, will receive it, even if they declare they will not pay a dime to the staff working. 2. Congress could have totally create/build a system of hospitals that provides "one time care" for those people, but doesn't. 3. Instead they pass the buck and say "figure it out" to…

I wonder how member of Congress justify that they need a special health care that is different from the public. It seems to make sense and align incentives to have members use the same public systems (eg transport, education, health, housing) as everyone else, otherwise they will never understand how their policies affect real people.

Post by mindslight » Thu, Jul 07, 2022, 2:50 AM UTC

maxerickson wrote: post #80

QuarterReptile wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the one that's simple to enforce. No price, no bill.

Y'all are leaving out the no service part that would come with that.

Post by lotsofpulp » Thu, Jul 07, 2022, 2:53 AM UTC

dragonwriter wrote: post #88

dd36 wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why looking at government spending over time is an incomplete picture. If a huge chunk goes to retirees and wasn’t 40 years ago, there’s simply less leftover for everything else. Tax revenue might be higher than ever but net available for programs is down. Thus, the feeling by many that government must be wasting money.

> If a huge chunk goes to retirees and wasn’t 40 years ago, there’s simply less leftover for everything else. If you are talking about state governments in the US, that's approximately true. If you are talking about the federal government, it's not, because the idea of a fixed purse is simply false. Spending and revenue are separate policy decisions that don't constraint each other.

Post by mrexroad » Thu, Jul 07, 2022, 2:57 AM UTC

dheera wrote: post #112

bsimpson wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I broke my foot recently. Calling around and asking for quotes ranged from a straight up "I don't know" to "Here is the cash price. We won't know your HDHP insurance price until after we bill them, which could be good for you or could be bad. It will probably be bad, because there are more middlemen." I tried paying the cash price. They inadvertently billed my insurance anyway. Turns out, I actually saved like 33% us…

I just got billed $5000 for a routine echocardiogram at Stanford, and in the process of fighting it. My insurance is supposed to cover preventative care 100% (not even a copay). They billed $18000 total (yes, for a 1-hour ultrasound) and insurance is leaving me to pay $5000. This is about the 6th time this has happened. It's always 15+ e-mails back and forth, then threatening lawyers, then they back off. I'm wonderin…

Post by dheera » Thu, Jul 07, 2022, 3:05 AM UTC

mrexroad wrote: post #117

dheera wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just got billed $5000 for a routine echocardiogram at Stanford, and in the process of fighting it. My insurance is supposed to cover preventative care 100% (not even a copay). They billed $18000 total (yes, for a 1-hour ultrasound) and insurance is leaving me to pay $5000. This is about the 6th time this has happened. It's always 15+ e-mails back and forth, then threatening lawyers, then they back off. I'm wonderin…

My son had strep throat. Stanford billed us just shy of $50K, but not before sending us a letter letting us know they had stopped accepting our insurance (BCBS) a few weeks prior. Obviously, more done than just a throat swab for the 50K, but whole thing was insane.