Great to see that the family got some help but still irritating to realize that the grifters got away with the grifting.
I experienced something in the same lines, doctors who become part of the problem. I had colonoscopy and endoscopy last year, did not use insurance - without insurance the total was around $2300.00. If I had used insurance it would be at least $6000.00. Obviously, like capitalism dictates, had to pay before the procedure.
Then, last month, I got a bill for $750.00. Asked for a itemized bill and it came a mess of charges that didn't make sense.
Called the office - they don't use a billing company - and they told me that it was an error, that that was "something internal", something about part of my payment getting moved around, I should not have received the bill.
I asked for an updated statement with $0.00 balance but there is nothing in this world that will convince me that they didn't do that on purpose, that they do this regularly and that some people pay whatever they receive, so they pay twice.
I haven’t read in your articles a solution using universal health care policies. How much money do you make helping people manage a dysfunctional system.? Would your purpose as a patient advocate be obsolete if the health system became human again? I’m not saying you don’t provide a service in exposing criminal medical behavior, yet shouldn’t it go further than this? What do you propose needs to change?
Hello David T - thank you for your comment. It's an interesting one! Have you read my book? My book is an argument for a free market solution to the high health care problems we see before us. Employers and working Americans need to get on board and work together to push back against the health care system's predatory practices. That's happening already, and that's the big macro solution, in my opinion. And then I help individuals to push back -- that's also solution oriented. My stories are "victory stories" specifically because I focus on solutions. If you're proposing that "universal health care" is a solution to this mess - I think that's a talking point that politicians use to get people to vote for them, but not something that's realistically in play here in the USA, unless you think someday that United HealthCare is going to be our "universal" health care. Politicians on both sides love to talk about health care but they aren't disruptive forces that are really about saving the public money. And by the way, I think it would be AWESOME if our health care system suddenly started putting people first and provided affordable and accessible care to all. Reducing the harm to patients has always been my goal, and that would meet my goal. Let's hope it happens, but until then, I'm here to help people protect themselves from being financially preyed upon. What's would you say is the solution to the problems that surround us in health care? Let me know what you think!
It's a great story and really exposes the rot/greed that has spread throughout the medical care industrial complex.
Yes, there are a lot of problems at play here, Dylan! Thank you for weighing in!
i suspect that 90% of hospital bills over $50,000 contain some sort of error...and 90% of those errors are in the hospital's favor.
I am with you on that suspicion. The problems are ubiquitous!
Great to see that the family got some help but still irritating to realize that the grifters got away with the grifting.
I experienced something in the same lines, doctors who become part of the problem. I had colonoscopy and endoscopy last year, did not use insurance - without insurance the total was around $2300.00. If I had used insurance it would be at least $6000.00. Obviously, like capitalism dictates, had to pay before the procedure.
Then, last month, I got a bill for $750.00. Asked for a itemized bill and it came a mess of charges that didn't make sense.
Called the office - they don't use a billing company - and they told me that it was an error, that that was "something internal", something about part of my payment getting moved around, I should not have received the bill.
I asked for an updated statement with $0.00 balance but there is nothing in this world that will convince me that they didn't do that on purpose, that they do this regularly and that some people pay whatever they receive, so they pay twice.
Thank you for sharing your story, Adriana! I agree - double dipping is probably a lot more common than we think! Good work checking on that!
I haven’t read in your articles a solution using universal health care policies. How much money do you make helping people manage a dysfunctional system.? Would your purpose as a patient advocate be obsolete if the health system became human again? I’m not saying you don’t provide a service in exposing criminal medical behavior, yet shouldn’t it go further than this? What do you propose needs to change?
Hello David T - thank you for your comment. It's an interesting one! Have you read my book? My book is an argument for a free market solution to the high health care problems we see before us. Employers and working Americans need to get on board and work together to push back against the health care system's predatory practices. That's happening already, and that's the big macro solution, in my opinion. And then I help individuals to push back -- that's also solution oriented. My stories are "victory stories" specifically because I focus on solutions. If you're proposing that "universal health care" is a solution to this mess - I think that's a talking point that politicians use to get people to vote for them, but not something that's realistically in play here in the USA, unless you think someday that United HealthCare is going to be our "universal" health care. Politicians on both sides love to talk about health care but they aren't disruptive forces that are really about saving the public money. And by the way, I think it would be AWESOME if our health care system suddenly started putting people first and provided affordable and accessible care to all. Reducing the harm to patients has always been my goal, and that would meet my goal. Let's hope it happens, but until then, I'm here to help people protect themselves from being financially preyed upon. What's would you say is the solution to the problems that surround us in health care? Let me know what you think!