So what is the deal here? Am I supposed to be elated?
Balance billing is a scourge. I’ve only been bitten by it several times, the most for perhaps $500 US, and every time a phone call and a stern attitude immediately had the charges reversed.
The several new article I’ve read about the new legislation makes it sound like the practice is banned, but from reading between the lines I don’t think so. It sound like there is to be an agreement, via an arbitrator if necessary, as to what the charges will be. The tone made me believe that the only releif would be to reduce the charges to those typically received and not the ludicrous full rack rate chargemaster rates, the rates that only those most unable to pay get charged – the uninsured.
If this interpretation is correct this means that if I go to a network hopsital and, with all the hands reaching into the till, one of those hands is out of network, the only relief I get is a typical negotiated rate for services vs. the absurd chargemaster rate.
This is still a massive negative as I have large out of network deductibles. Even if later in the year I have met my in network out of pocket max, which I do every year in the July – Nov. timeframe, I have to pay a LARGE fee notheless, even though I have made the effort to go to an in network provider.
if there were no out of network deductibles this would be mostly a non-issue.
So from my PoV this is still a totally unacceptable situation.
To highlight some of the weaseltry here, the NYT writes, via Yahoo!, that “Some private-equity firms have turned this type of billing into a robust business model, buying emergency room doctor groups and moving the providers out of network so they could bill larger fees.”
So is this a big deal or is it just slightly reducing a charge that most people operating in good faith are being stuck with?
submitted by /u/carp_boy
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So what is the deal here? Am I supposed to be elated? Balance billing is a scourge. I’ve only been bitten by it several times, the most for perhaps $500 US, and every time a phone call and a stern attitude immediately had the charges reversed. The several new article I’ve read about the new legislation makes it sound like the practice is banned, but from reading between the lines I don’t think so. It sound like there is to be an agreement, via an arbitrator if necessary, as to what the charges will be. The tone made me believe that the only releif would be to reduce the charges to those typically received and not the ludicrous full rack rate chargemaster rates, the rates that only those most unable to pay get charged – the uninsured. If this interpretation is correct this means that if I go to a network hopsital and, with all the hands reaching into the till, one of those hands is out of network, the only relief I get is a typical negotiated rate for services vs. the absurd chargemaster rate. This is still a massive negative as I have large out of network deductibles. Even if later in the year I have met my in network out of pocket max, which I do every year in the July – Nov. timeframe, I have to pay a LARGE fee notheless, even though I have made the effort to go to an in network provider. if there were no out of network deductibles this would be mostly a non-issue. So from my PoV this is still a totally unacceptable situation. To highlight some of the weaseltry here, the NYT writes, via Yahoo!, that “Some private-equity firms have turned this type of billing into a robust business model, buying emergency room doctor groups and moving the providers out of network so they could bill larger fees.” So is this a big deal or is it just slightly reducing a charge that most people operating in good faith are being stuck with?
submitted by /u/carp_boy [link] [comments]Read Morer/HealthInsurance