I went into a procedure last year without knowing what the bill would be. It's a common problem in an opaque health-care system, says physician and CFP.

A few months ago, I went into a medical procedure worried.

Thankfully, I wasn’t concerned about my health. I wasn’t stoked to be getting a colonoscopy at age 32, but it’s about as routine as it gets, and my symptoms were hardly life threatening. Rather, I was worried about what it might cost.

How did I step foot into a surgical center not knowing what the bill would be? It wasn’t for lack of trying. I asked the doctor if the procedure was covered, and he said yes. But my insurance company said I’d be on the hook for a percentage of the cost since I was under 45.

I called the clinic to ask what the full price was, and they told me to call my insurance company. My insurer told me to get in touch with the clinic’s billing department. Billing said they’d call me back. They didn’t. By the time the day of my colonoscopy arrived, I threw my hands up.

The doctor had told me I absolutely needed it. I would just have to eat the cost, whatever it was.

  • rosymind@leminal.spaceEnglish
    8·
    11 months ago

    These bastard insurance companies will tell your dentist how much they are willing to pay for a treatment.

    So say the dentist would normally charge $300 for a cleaning, with full x-rays, flouride varnish, and comprehensive exam

    The insurance company can dictate that they will only pay $250 with flouride. Another plan with the same company might pay $175, but won’t cover flouride. A seperate insurance company will pay for flouride up to age 14. Another will… you get the point.

    Further, with the exceptions of exams and cleanings (which I think they HAVE to cover by law) they can dictate a fee of $500 for a crown, but then only a porcelain fused to metal crown, and then only pay like 60% of that with you needing to pay the rest. The dentist may normally charge $800 for a crown, but prefer using something like zirconium.

    The receptionist has to go through each and every patient’s insurance schedule fee, and can only give you an estimate because even though they call the insurance company, the rep on the phone can make mistakes.

    It’s a horrible, horrible, system that serves no-one except the insurance companies and I hate it

    (Worked in dental, tried doing up front stuff but I have ADHD and the insurance garbage breaks my mind)

    • qwertyqwertyqwertyEnglish
      7·
      11 months ago

      Right. So the reason I can’t be told the price is because the “auction” is still going on when I come in for my appointment. It’s a racket.