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Old 20-12-2013, 11:14   #16
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Re: U.S. Healthcare Pirates

One thing about your bill that most people don't realize is you can Absolutely dispute any and all charges. Always ask the insurance company to review the bill and re-evaluate what they are charging you for. My mother in-law took a medical billing course and the very first thing they told her was when you get a bill from your insurance company call them and say you don't think the charges are correct and that you would like it reviewed and explained. 9 times out of 10 they will reduce the bill for a couple of reasons.

first is they constantly are fighting to get people to pay their bill so if they can reduce it and essentially guarantee payment from you they will

also the person doing the billing is not a medical professional, they are essentially an accountant. The person doing the billing has to decipher what the doctor has done and find what they think is the best way to charge you for it and there is usually more then one way to charge you for the same thing.

When my son was born the bill they sent my wife had all kinds of charges that just seemed excessive. She called the insurance company and through very little haggling got the bill reduced drastically. We saved about 40% off our bill for pretty much 1 phone call.

Dulce it can't hurt to call and just say these charges are excessive and I don't believe they are correct. You might be surprised what they come back with.
Worst case scenario you wasted a phone call.
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Old 20-12-2013, 11:15   #17
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Re: U.S. Healthcare Pirates

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Thanks, maybe I worded it wrong but I hear like in canada you can see a private dr and get right in. Under the government program you could wait weeks or more. I winder if thats where this country is headed.
Their are no private doctors in Canada. their is ONE system.

I reckon we either need to go all boot straps and cash payers, get rid of Medicare and see how that works out or have one system like Medicare that covers everyone.

Going to be a painful decade of two whilst it's sorted out.

Stay healthy!
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Old 20-12-2013, 11:15   #18
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Re: U.S. Healthcare Pirates

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Thanks, maybe I worded it wrong but I hear like in canada you can see a private dr and get right in. Under the government program you could wait weeks or more. I winder if thats where this country is headed.
First - sincere wishes for a speedy and painless recovery.

In Canada, just about all doctors are "private". They are free to practice wherever and however they choose - setting up their own practice alone or with other doctors, being on-staff at a clinic or a hospital, etc.

The difference is that in Canada, there is just ONE payer - the government. You see your doctor, the gov't gets the bill and pays the doctor. You go into hospital, the government gets the bill. Never mind the horror stories spread by the right; by just about every metric Canadian health-care is world-class... and universal. And guess what - it costs LESS than healthcare in the US.

I'm sorry the US isn't quite ready for either a single-payer system, or a properly-regulated private system like that in France. It's no secret that US healthcare is the most expensive in the world, thanks mostly to the morass of incomplete insurance coverage and multiple price schemes, and a huge population of people without coverage. The only thing worse than the ACA is... what you had before it.

[on preview - yeah, expanded medicare would have been a better move. ]
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Old 20-12-2013, 11:17   #19
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Re: U.S. Healthcare Pirates

Sorry, my point is you can't say screw this line I'll pay cash in Canada.

They go to the US for that.
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Old 20-12-2013, 11:19   #20
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Re: U.S. Healthcare Pirates

A great deal of the expense of medical care in this country is because of the horrendous costs to the health care professionals for their malpractice insurance.
They are forced to run tests for any conceivable event regardless of its likelihood.
It got this way because lawyers have become ambulance chasers, spurred on by lawsuits and "generous" judges.
I'll just say,
"Do your homework to see who appointed most of the ones who got that going."

All this costs, and guess who pays.

It's taken a very long time to get to this stage of our discontent, but here we are.
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Old 20-12-2013, 11:26   #21
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Re: U.S. Healthcare Pirates

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Sorry, my point is you can't say screw this line I'll pay cash in Canada.

They go to the US for that.
The rich, of every country, will seek out and pay for the best (perceived or otherwise) of everything. Canada's wealthy are no different. The vast majority of Canadians, including the wealthy, get timely and top-quality healthcare within the Canadian system.

Fun Fact - if there's an unacceptably long wait for a necessary treatment in Canada, that is available elsewhere sooner, the Canadian system will PAY the cost of sending the patient to the US or elsewhere for that treatment.
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Old 20-12-2013, 11:27   #22
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Don't forget they take your money then leverage it and invest it in the market to try and make more money.Sometimes the market crashes like in 2008, then they raise premiums to make up for the losses....
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Old 20-12-2013, 11:31   #23
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Re: U.S. Healthcare Pirates

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Have you ever actually had healthcare outside the USA (aside from the military)?
Yes Jamaica and Mexico...both were "oh so wonderful" (sarcasm)
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Old 20-12-2013, 11:38   #24
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Re: U.S. Healthcare Pirates

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The rich, of every country, will seek out and pay for the best (perceived or otherwise) of everything. Canada's wealthy are no different. The vast majority of Canadians, including the wealthy, get timely and top-quality healthcare within the Canadian system.

Fun Fact - if there's an unacceptably long wait for a necessary treatment in Canada, that is available elsewhere sooner, the Canadian system will PAY the cost of sending the patient to the US or elsewhere for that treatment.
So your healthcare works oh so well that you have to outsource....

I don't think the US healthcare system is bad, I do think government run healthcare is bad (ie military and the god awful VA), not to mention I believe Canada has a higher tax rate than the US...I sure as heck know the UK does.

Also what about the long wait for other procedures that aren't deemed "serious"
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Old 20-12-2013, 11:42   #25
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Re: U.S. Healthcare Pirates

[QUOTE=Boatguy30;1419496]when I look around my waterfront neighborhood, I see doctors, drug reps, implant reps, etc, etc. That and lawyers are pretty much the only ones in florida making any money. I can point you in their direction as far as cutting their pay.QUOTE]

What's wrong with doctors making money? They work hard to go through school, accrue massive amounts of student loans to do so. They study and work harder then anything I can imagine and aren't supposed to be paid handsomely? They mostly work hard long hours and have massive amounts of stress due to trying to keep people alive and healthy.

I can easily tell you that when there were complications when my son was being born and the crash team rushed in the attending that was in charge could not have been paid enough to keep my baby and my wife alive and safe. She earned every penny making sure they were ok. I would rather have someone who is driven to be competitive to make money then driving those people away because we don't want them to get paid.
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Old 20-12-2013, 11:49   #26
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Re: U.S. Healthcare Pirates

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Have you ever actually had healthcare outside the USA (aside from the military)?
I have and LOVE it.
I have my yearly Colonoscopy scheduled with my Doc in Mazatlan, Mexico.
Throw in a vacation with the Ass Cam...
$385 out the door for a Colonoscopy plus another $150 for the biopsy labs...no forms...no Govnt begging...signing away my privacy or bank account. Plus a Taco for my first back to food meal!

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What's wrong with doctors making money?
Because in America today, "some pigs are more equal than others".
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Old 20-12-2013, 11:54   #27
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Re: U.S. Healthcare Pirates

Third Day - can you PM me with the name/number of your doctor. I am past due and could use a quick vacation.
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Old 20-12-2013, 11:56   #28
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Re: U.S. Healthcare Pirates

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Outside the country you'd wait months for an appointment sometimes....grass is not always greener...
Not in Thailand. Ever heard of medical tourism? Excellent care, inexpensive and no waiting.
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Old 20-12-2013, 12:02   #29
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Re: U.S. Healthcare Pirates

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Third Day - can you PM me with the name/number of your doctor. I am past due and could use a quick vacation.
Ed
Will do....
Every year a "time for a Colonoscopy fever" sweeps the docks in Marina Mazatlan, which is how I found out about the Doc back in 2010. He speaks good english and has better/newer equipment than my former Doc in Santa Barbara, California!
My Wife has all the onfo of course and I just do what she says, so I will get it from her!
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Old 20-12-2013, 12:08   #30
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Sorry, my point is you can't say screw this line I'll pay cash in Canqada.

They go to the US for that.
When I would work the border towns of Tx alot of canadians would be down there for dental work rather than wait in canada. Also I sat next to a canadian couple on a 3 hour flight last month and they said that if they don't want to wait for their appt if its weeks out they can see a private dr and get in faster?
EIther way they were pretty happy with their system nice to here its good in other areas like quatemala etc.
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