More Sickness Profiteering
What happened? Well, i had another experience of the sickness profiteering industry. Since i have hypothyroidism, i get a lot of lab tests. I was due for one at the end of the year as i was checking out a new doctor associated with one of the big hospitals in town. Without consulting with me, she decided to send me to their lab (the test wasn’t quite due yet). Maybe it was because i am an introvert that i didn’t speak up. And i thought, well, test is test. Right? Wrong.
The doctor ordered two tests. Today i got the bill for my portion. It is four times as large as i paid for the previous rounds of tests, which included one additional test. Being the data person that i am, i had to dig into that. I quickly figured out that for the previous test, my “patient savings,” the part that the health insurance company claims is excessive but the provider still tries to get, for the independent laboratory were almost 91%. For the hospital those savings came to a whooping 26%! So what i have to pay is four times as much. Same tests. Different place. It’s mindboggling. Granted, this is what happens with other products, too. But you know this in advance. You don’t have to make calls or dig for the information before you buy. And this is health care, something i believe is a human right, not a business to make a profit. Obviously, that’s not what our government and the plutocracy behind them thinks.
For now, i’ve only paid a portion of the bill – the 10% i think i owe. Of course, they’ll be coming after me for the rest. I’ll try to refuse to pay that as long as i can. Just for the principle.
Update May 9, 2013: As a new investigation shows, I am by far the only one faced with such ridiculous price differences. There are vast differences in costs of procedures reminding me more price gouging than health care…
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A new investigation is showing how much of this price gouging is actually systemic: Here is a summary of the findings.
You’re right, what happened to you is disgraceful and the advice to check fee first is a good one. There’s an excellent book (not one of mine) which I recommend that everyone read: Should I Be Tested For Cancer: Maybe Not And Here’s Why. It garnered rave reviews and could help people avoid much stress and discomfort and worse. I bought five copies for relatives.
Thanks for the book recommendation… It sounds like the book is in line with newer research on breast cancer screening…
My tests weren’t for cancer. They were fairly routine thyroid tests to monitor my hypothyroidism.
I recognized that but the book is profoundly important and other evaluations will likely be recommended for you (as they are for everyone) throughout your life.
SG
Chapters from all of my books and important mental health information is at my website: http://www.drstanleygoldstein.com
oh my…..it’s happening everywhere……our culture is changing, adapting to changing times…..once we went to the dentist and at the end, said, ”how much, doc?”,,,,,but now, most dentists will draw up an estimate before starting work…….or, if not, i’m teaching myself to say, up front, “…with today’s crises, i have to know ahead, since fees can go up at any time and we all need to learn new ways”………
…..we’re ALL living w/this now, and it’s important to remind one another to be careful…..and adopt new engagement approaches………..how appalling……EVERTHING IS NOW UP FOR ‘SALE’………especially our dignity and freedom…….