What Happens When a Healthcare Startup Leaves You With the Bill
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Re: What Happens When a Healthcare Startup Leaves You With the Bill
#2This is actually a Valleywag article, which is a banned domain on HN so the original link is using a workaround to show the article. (http://valleywag.gawker.com/what-happens-when-a-healthcare-s...)
In this case, the article is actually pretty good.
Re: What Happens When a Healthcare Startup Leaves You With the Bill
#3This is actually a Valleywag article, which is a banned domain on HN so the original link is using a workaround to show the article. ( http://valleywag.gawker.com/what-happens-when-a-healthcare-s... ) In this case, the article is actually pretty good.
Valleywag shouldn't be banned. It can be a bit gleeful about the Valley's moral meltdown, but it's the only outfit in "the tech press" that tells the truth. Everything else is payola.
Re: What Happens When a Healthcare Startup Leaves You With the Bill
#4This is actually a Valleywag article, which is a banned domain on HN so the original link is using a workaround to show the article. ( http://valleywag.gawker.com/what-happens-when-a-healthcare-s... ) In this case, the article is actually pretty good.
Valleywag shouldn't be banned. It can be a bit gleeful about the Valley's moral meltdown, but it's the only outfit in "the tech press" that tells the truth. Everything else is payola.
I agree that Valleywag shouldn't be banned on the basis that they often contribute unique articles not discussed by other tech outlets. (e.g. http://valleywag.gawker.com/the-laundry-quarters-startup-is-...)
Although to be fair, there are a few "rich people in tech suck because they're rich" articles which are more hostile.
Re: What Happens When a Healthcare Startup Leaves You With the Bill
#5I find the phrase "Don't A/B test with people's lives" to be in search of something catchy, or a zinger. The reality of big insurance has always been to be paid more than they pay out. Simple. You've always been a number to an insurance company.
Re: What Happens When a Healthcare Startup Leaves You With the Bill
#6It happened to me ~10 years ago with another health care startup. The sign up booklet looks good and we switch to it. I was with a big company ( - Nokia )at that time. But when the time comes to pay hospital/doctor bill, it has all kind of reasons not too.
I documented the phone calls with them, put the detail on a yahoo group and make sure the group was opened to everyone who want to join and also invited their company's PR/Marketing to join that group.
The issue was resolved immediately. I don't think that company is alive today. Healthcare insurance start up is not easy. I don't trust them base on that experience.
The main issue with insurance is always how much you can trust them when they need to pay up. In the short term, they can always promise low rate to get your attention. But that only get the young folks to switch. After one been thru the experience I been thru, it is hard to trust that kind of company again.
In today's internet age, it is impossible for any "startup insurance" company to do that kind of "hack" to try keep their cash flow and not immediately to have their reputation out to everyone in the world.
Re: What Happens When a Healthcare Startup Leaves You With the Bill
#7I find the phrase "Don't A/B test with people's lives" to be in search of something catchy, or a zinger. The reality of big insurance has always been to be paid more than they pay out. Simple. You've always been a number to an insurance company.
If insurers didn't make money, they wouldn't coordinate insurance plans.
They're middlemen, like so many HN readers aspire to be, because there are efficiencies to be found in the middle. Insurance is a way of crowd-funding risk, though we rarely talk about it in those terms.
Re: What Happens When a Healthcare Startup Leaves You With the Bill
#8This is actually a Valleywag article, which is a banned domain on HN so the original link is using a workaround to show the article. ( http://valleywag.gawker.com/what-happens-when-a-healthcare-s... ) In this case, the article is actually pretty good.
Valleywag shouldn't be banned. It can be a bit gleeful about the Valley's moral meltdown, but it's the only outfit in "the tech press" that tells the truth. Everything else is payola.
That's a bit cynical, no? Everything else is payola?
Who knows why certain publications are banned. Maybe it's not their content but that they spammed the site and with sockpuppets?
That said, I'd like to fewer filters on which publications are banned. I submitted something from CNET that went to auto-dead. Seems like something I'm sure Dan and team are on top of. Why not send them note?
Re: What Happens When a Healthcare Startup Leaves You With the Bill
#9I have posted it before, but any time a healthcare thread pops up I like to mention a project I co-founded (before Obamacare/Affordable Healthcare Act).
Primary care coverage for $20/month $10 copay for ARNP/PA visits and $25 copay for Doctor visit. Even if someone is covered on the exchange this type of primary care plan can be far more cost effective than paying the copays under many of the plans. See: http://pfccmember.com/Membership_Plans.html
>So I went to my new Oscar-approved doctor, who recommended routine blood work...On April 28th 2014, I received a first bill from the hospital detailing how Oscar covered none of the in-hospital labs and I would need to pay $1640. A second round of labs before April 28th pushed the total bill to over $2000.
Even our little start-up was able to negotiate $99 for blood work labs, which is out of pocket to the patient. If the same patient uses insurance that rate skyrockets, usually requiring patients to pay out of pocket anyway because of giant deductibles.
Re: What Happens When a Healthcare Startup Leaves You With the Bill
#10With bogus physician bills my SOP is to call the office and tell them that I will let the bill run to collection and dispute it in court. This strategy never failed, physicians are mortally afraid of having to admit that their billing practice is questionable.
With refunds from the insurance company I have found that a nice letter "please pay up 10 days from now or I will get a title in court" works wonders. I never had to no, not once.