Heath insurance is arguably the BIGGEST scam on the planet. Most people just dont know how the medical system functions or how to work it the right way. And, when I say work it, Im not talking about getting care for free either. If someone provides service, they should get paid, regardless of the profession. This might surprise you but hospitals DO NOT refuse patients for care here in the USA! If you listen to the media, youd probably think and believe otherwise. Its incredible how much tactical fear-mongering goes on to keep the public ignorant on this issue. Hospitals (like medical doctors) also have self-pay negotiable rates that are usually half to 1/3 of the cost than what they bill insurance. Here in Georgia, a dual fee structure is allowed like in most states. But, youve got to tell them youre self pay up front. Once you show that insurance card... BAM, youll be paying an inflated rate. If you have a huge deductible, youre sunk. Let me give you an example. A friend of mine needed knee surgery and spoke directly to the orthopedic surgeon beforehand. He told him he was going to pay cash and the surgeon said he would do the operation for $2,500. However, like an idiot, when he was admitted to the hospital they asked him for his insurance card. He gave it to them but said hes not going to use it. Then they told him they had to since he presented it. He had a $10,000 deductible so, you guessed it, the hospital billed the normally surgery rate of just over $10,000. Expensive lesson learned. I know, I know.... there is someone reading this right now saying, But what if something catastrophic happens and you dont have insurance! Our family will go bankrupt paying medical bills. Not if you understand the system and know the laws, you wont. Heres the deal. Lets say you had a heart attack and from all the hospital time, surgery, and meds, youre on the hook for $100,000. You speak with the hospital billing dept and are surprised when they offer you a 50-75% prepayment discount. But even thats a lot of money. So, you come to terms with them for a monthly installment agreement of $100, As long as you pay SOMETHING, you cant be reported to any credit agency. After you pay this amount for a couple years, the hospital is going to come back to you and try to negotiate a pay-off amount much smaller than what they offered initially. You can either accept it or continue paying your small amount. Ive see patients do this so many times, its ridiculous. Tell me... would you rather pay $500 - $1,500 per month and make an unethical and manipulative company rich, or would you rather pay out of pocket a few hundred bucks per year in medical exams? Insurance companies and the po-LIE-ticians that protect them are profiting from your ignorance. Another scenario: Lets say youre relatively healthy and go to the MD twice per year with your children. Maybe you need some tests here and there, too. A reasonable estimate would be $1,500 per year in medical expenses. That comes-out to $125 per month youd pay out of pocket. Thats not too bad at all, certainly MUCH better than forking over 500-1500 per month which youll never see again. And thats if youre one of those people that go to the MD regularly. With deductibles soaring out of control, youre basically paying out of pocket anyway for the first $1,000-5,000! Insurance doesnt kick-in until the deductible is met. On rare occasions, Ive seen regular health insurance benefit patients. For instance, one girl I know has a son thats constantly in the hospital for his blood disorder. In that case, they actually save a lot of money on treatment. Thats the exception to the rule, though. The overwhelming majority of Americans could break the insurance addiction if they knew how the game works. By the way, Im not an attorney so dont mistake this as legal advice. However, I think you might seriously evaluate your current health strategy. Paying cash out-of-pocket can actually save you BIG BUCKS if youre smart about it. What can save you even more money is actually learning how to PREVENT chronic diseases in the first place. Even if youre now forced to pay the unconstitutional tax penalty for ObamaCare, youll still be spending much less than paying monthly for affordable coverage. Thoughts?
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 18:49:23 +0000
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