Labs Gone Wild

[alphawave2k]

How about having a menu of pricing like you do when you walk into a restaurant? The uninsured or cash buyers would pay that listed price....yes I understand there are thousands of codes. Gee I wonder why that is?.
The "pre-negotiated" prices within the network would pay the 'pre-negotiated" prices based on the insurance carrier and so on...these we know are unpublished, and you have to dig for your out-of-pocket cost with the insurance company once you know the billing code.
The care seeker needs to be better educated. She/he should ask to have all outside work done "within network", and all paper work signed, which is a contract designed to self-serve the drafter can be modified by adding "all services to be performed in-network" and then signing this "contract".
This may or may not protect the service seeker, but it's worth a shot.
I particularly like the "practice" of signing papers once you're laying on your hospital bed before surgery, with last-minute release of liability papers to sign, after you're mildly under the influence of sodium pentothal....stating the potential dangers involved in the surgery....including death. Sign here

 

[somarco]

FWIW, the woman in the linked article apparently has an HMO and no clue how the plan works.

On another front, while I have had claim issues from clients regarding denied and reduced claims for one reason or another, I don't recall EVER having anyone complain about lab overbilling. More often than not if anything is said it is about how little they have to pay for lab work.

And that includes clients all over the south but mostly in Georgia, for 40+ years.

Guess they are just lucky.

Carry on without me.

 

[Yagents]

Ummmmm........directlabs.com or mymedlabs.com solves many of these problems. Sometimes, it's just easier knowing what you will be paying vs going through the claim process, to possibly be approved at similar negotiated rate, to possibly go towards your huge in network deductible. Bonus if plan is HSA plan.
Policyowners have tools, few know how to use them, and most are those screwed are new entrants to the "system" with a new diagnosis. Once stung, veterans / high usage clients, learn the system quickly.

 

[VolAgent]

Whether you agree that it was handled properly or not, if you don't see that this is a problem then you really aren't going to like the solution.

A large part if not all of society sees this is a part of a huge problem, and they are going to fix it. Wouldn't it be better to be helping to drive the solution than just ignoring it?

Anyone remember Obamacare? Some of the same people were saying there was no problem. Well, we got a solution, ready for round two?