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Probably not, no one is "average". I have in front of me a bill for an ER visit of my husband's for $9046. This was for coming in for "shortness of breath", sent by the doctor. Adjustments and insurance was $8988. We owe $58. $9000 is a lot of money for about 4 hours in the ER.
Aren't you leaving out the part where the insurance company and the provider agree on a payment a lot less than $8988?
Aren't you leaving out the part where the insurance company and the provider agree on a payment a lot less than $8988?
Exactly. I’m always amazed about the billing amount and what the insurance actually pays. This leads to many different tests being administered by the Drs or Hospitals to make up for that discount. More procedures = more dollars
Aren't you leaving out the part where the insurance company and the provider agree on a payment a lot less than $8988?
No. There are three "adjustments on this bill, one for $138.00; one for $109.00 and one (the one we pay) for $58. I'm guessing Medicare, Medicare supplement and our payment.
"Diagnostic examination of voice box using flexible endoscope" (took about 10 seconds) = doctor charged $350, Medicare approved amount $134.80. Amount Medicare paid $105.68. Patient responsbility $26.96.
So the originally billed $600 from the doctor was knocked down to $218 by Medicare's rules, out of which they paid 78.3% (thus showing, too, that Medicare does NOT always pay 80% ... depending on where you live.)
Probably not, no one is "average". I have in front of me a bill for an ER visit of my husband's for $9046. This was for coming in for "shortness of breath", sent by the doctor. Adjustments and insurance was $8988. We owe $58. $9000 is a lot of money for about 4 hours in the ER. Just an anecdote, but an example to show that health care is not cheap.
I agree with this last, and I will remind all the young Libertarians here that is why Medicare was created in the first place! Insurance was very expensive and/or non-existent for the elderly.
National health insurance in western Europe varies by country. The UK's is completely tax supported. (I'm not talking about the supplemental ins. that some buy; I'm talking about what the government provides.) Some countries tax businesses as well as individuals.
Here's a good overview: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Europe
They call it a tax, but if you look into the structure of it, it is in fact structured as an insurance premium. Look in Wikipedia under National Insurance: it is a contributory form of insurance, anyone older than 16 pays contribution if earning more than 162 pounds per week [which most people do unless they are still in school - my remark], and "individuals may also make voluntary contributions to fill a gap in their record and thus protect their entitlement to benefits".
You got it, I surely am obviously a libertarian, but not a young one (59 in a few weeks :-).
No. There are three "adjustments on this bill, one for $138.00; one for $109.00 and one (the one we pay) for $58. I'm guessing Medicare, Medicare supplement and our payment.
OK, I get it now.
Cigna, my insurance company, has in-network agreements with both the clinic I use and Stanford Medical Center, where I get hospitalization and surgery. After a brief hospitalization, I get a "retail" bill of $12,000. $200 is my share. Cigna pays Stanford some amount but it is not $11,800.
They call it a tax, but if you look into the structure of it, it is in fact structured as an insurance premium. Look in Wikipedia under National Insurance: it is a contributory form of insurance, anyone older than 16 pays contribution if earning more than 162 pounds per week [which most people do unless they are still in school - my remark], and "individuals may also make voluntary contributions to fill a gap in their record and thus protect their entitlement to benefits".
You got it, I surely am obviously a libertarian, but not a young one (59 in a few weeks :-).
I would say they call it a tax because it's a tax. You can call it "contributory" but if it is a compulsory payment, it is a tax. I can also pay taxes in advance and protect my entitlement to not have my bank account seized for non-payment of taxes.
They call it a tax, but if you look into the structure of it, it is in fact structured as an insurance premium. Look in Wikipedia under National Insurance: it is a contributory form of insurance, anyone older than 16 pays contribution if earning more than 162 pounds per week [which most people do unless they are still in school - my remark], and "individuals may also make voluntary contributions to fill a gap in their record and thus protect their entitlement to benefits".
You got it, I surely am obviously a libertarian, but not a young one (59 in a few weeks :-).
Here's a more reliable source than Wikipedia: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/project...how-nhs-funded "The NHS is funded mainly from general taxation and National Insurance contributions. In 2001, an increase in National Insurance rates intended to boost NHS funding increased the proportion paid for by National Insurance, although general taxation still accounts for around 80 per cent of NHS funding."
You're about 10 years younger than me. I was a teen when Medicare was created (1965) and in late high school when Medicare started paying for hospitalization for seniors (1966). When I was a nursing student (1967-70), there were a lot of hospitalized Medicare patients who had not had much health care prior to Medicare. https://www.medicareresources.org/ba...y-of-medicare/
there is no such thing as insurance for pre-existing conditions. It is simply welfare and/or redistribution of costs.
Agree that that's what it really is. And there are indeed those who would and do take undue advantage. Despite that, I would still argue that covering pre-existing conditions is the right thing to do. Too many people are unlucky to be born with health conditions that in the past would have caused denial of coverage, and there are many others who already have pre-existing conditions or illnesses, even if they did everything "right" health-wise, who lose their jobs and their coverage through no fault of their own.
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