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Insured price $2,758, cash price $521

latimes.com

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Re: Insured price $2,758, cash price $521

#11

Post by devoply »

dantheman wrote: post #5
devoply wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? Why are insurance companies not demanding cash price and reducing premiums? There should be lawsuits against hospitals, this seems like something which is generally considered highly illegal at this sort of scale... charging different customers different prices -- especially when the ones paying more are more than capable of taking hospitals to court.

The 80/20 Rule could be one reason -- the more they spend on health care, the more they can spend on other things. https://www.healthcare.gov/health-care-law-protections/rate-...

Sounds like the government needs to sue both insurance companies and hospitals for collusion to stop this.

Re: Insured price $2,758, cash price $521

#12

Post by youeseh »

devoply wrote: post #3
pkaye wrote: post #2

My understanding is the insured patients are subsidizing all the others covered by medicare, medicaid or those uninsured.

Why? Why are insurance companies not demanding cash price and reducing premiums? There should be lawsuits against hospitals, this seems like something which is generally considered highly illegal at this sort of scale... charging different customers different prices -- especially when the ones paying more are more than capable of taking hospitals to court.

Hospitals could also be charging insurance companies more, but not for subsidizing cash patients but for greater profit.

Re: Insured price $2,758, cash price $521

#13

Post by minikites »

astrodust wrote: post #8

Wouldn't it be nice to have an ultrasound and not know the price, nor care? That's what countries with single-payer are like. America needs to give up on this nonsense. There should be riots.

Americans in general are in love with the idea of the "just world". If someone gets sick, it's because they did something to deserve it. If we treat their illness for free, they won't learn.

Additionally, lots of employers also love holding their employees hostage via healthcare and they spend millions lobbying to this end.

Re: Insured price $2,758, cash price $521

#14

Post by rpmisms »

Stratoscope wrote: post #9

Beyond opaque and variable pricing for the same service, there is also the question of whether something simpler would do the trick. Some years ago, I thought I might have broken my finger. I went to the doctor and it was actually the physician's assistant who saw me. I'd explained at the front desk that I had a high-deductible policy and I would be paying in full for the visit. The PA said "Usually we would send som…

That's extremely cool, and has my gears turning about how to encourage that kind of behavior.

Re: Insured price $2,758, cash price $521

#15

Post by erikig »

Stratoscope wrote: post #9

Beyond opaque and variable pricing for the same service, there is also the question of whether something simpler would do the trick. Some years ago, I thought I might have broken my finger. I went to the doctor and it was actually the physician's assistant who saw me. I'd explained at the front desk that I had a high-deductible policy and I would be paying in full for the visit. The PA said "Usually we would send som…

Out of curiosity, why would it hurt a lot more if a bone was broken?

Re: Insured price $2,758, cash price $521

#16

Post by DaiPlusPlus »

erikig wrote: post #15
Stratoscope wrote: post #9

Beyond opaque and variable pricing for the same service, there is also the question of whether something simpler would do the trick. Some years ago, I thought I might have broken my finger. I went to the doctor and it was actually the physician's assistant who saw me. I'd explained at the front desk that I had a high-deductible policy and I would be paying in full for the visit. The PA said "Usually we would send som…

Out of curiosity, why would it hurt a lot more if a bone was broken?

I think because more energy is transferred to a smaller piece of bone which then vibrates more and is presumably more painful as it contacts pain receptors around it - whereas an larger intact bone will vibrate less as there’s more bone mass to move around.

Re: Insured price $2,758, cash price $521

#17

Post by [deleted] »

erikig wrote: post #15
Stratoscope wrote: post #9

Beyond opaque and variable pricing for the same service, there is also the question of whether something simpler would do the trick. Some years ago, I thought I might have broken my finger. I went to the doctor and it was actually the physician's assistant who saw me. I'd explained at the front desk that I had a high-deductible policy and I would be paying in full for the visit. The PA said "Usually we would send som…

Out of curiosity, why would it hurt a lot more if a bone was broken?

[deleted]

Re: Insured price $2,758, cash price $521

#18

Post by Pfhreak »

erikig wrote: post #15
Stratoscope wrote: post #9

Beyond opaque and variable pricing for the same service, there is also the question of whether something simpler would do the trick. Some years ago, I thought I might have broken my finger. I went to the doctor and it was actually the physician's assistant who saw me. I'd explained at the front desk that I had a high-deductible policy and I would be paying in full for the visit. The PA said "Usually we would send som…

Out of curiosity, why would it hurt a lot more if a bone was broken?

Having a bone in my hand set without anesthetic, I suspect it's because when a broken bone becomes rapidly agitated it's causing a bunch of nerves to fire their pain signals. The tuning fork most likely resonates the bone rapidly -- if things are just sprained, the whole bone vibrates. If the bone is broken, it grinds against itself.

Re: Insured price $2,758, cash price $521

#19

Post by en4bz »

astrodust wrote: post #8

Wouldn't it be nice to have an ultrasound and not know the price, nor care? That's what countries with single-payer are like. America needs to give up on this nonsense. There should be riots.

Except you often have to wait weeks for non-life threatening issues. In the US you can get imaging done same or next day.

Re: Insured price $2,758, cash price $521

#20

Post by Stratoscope »

erikig wrote: post #15
Stratoscope wrote: post #9

Beyond opaque and variable pricing for the same service, there is also the question of whether something simpler would do the trick. Some years ago, I thought I might have broken my finger. I went to the doctor and it was actually the physician's assistant who saw me. I'd explained at the front desk that I had a high-deductible policy and I would be paying in full for the visit. The PA said "Usually we would send som…

Out of curiosity, why would it hurt a lot more if a bone was broken?

Glad you asked, I forgot to mention that. He did explain that if the bone is broken, the broken ends would vibrate against each other, and that would be as painful as it sounds.
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