Post 9sBDdKnF0fXVMCeAaW by cambrian_era@radical.town
 (DIR) More posts by cambrian_era@radical.town
 (DIR) Post #9sBDdJLYO7nWs2gXnE by cambrian_era@radical.town
       2020-02-19T00:36:24Z
       
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       So, here's how medical billing in the US works:The place I got surgery at billed my insurance for $146k for my surgery.Of that, $111 was written off. I was left with a $34k bill, which my insurance paid (I had met my yearly out of pocket).The thing is, the ~$35k price is around what I understood the surgery to usually cost anyway. So really, they just make up whatever number, then negotiate it down and it's savings? The whole thing is fucking bizarre.
       
 (DIR) Post #9sBDdJlQpuUwAInD84 by cambrian_era@radical.town
       2020-02-19T00:38:00Z
       
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       This sort of thing is why the argument that conservatives like Pete Buttigieg make that people should make decisions about their own care is nonsense. The whole thing is opaque and labyrinthine. You have no idea what anything costs and little ability to shop around.
       
 (DIR) Post #9sBDdKD5B6cFY3jIEC by AudreyJune@radical.town
       2020-02-19T01:14:12Z
       
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       @cambrian_era @cambrian_era Yep. Hospitals out these obscene numbers that make it impossible to access high level care without insurance. This also allows the insurance company to be like “look at the amazing work we did, negotiating $111k off your bill” (seriously, they present it this way on EOBs).Meanwhile, if you go and see someone like McGinn (who doesn’t take insurance), everything is much more straightforward and you get simple bill with the actual costs and it does end up being closer (i think less) to that 35k charge.
       
 (DIR) Post #9sBDdKnF0fXVMCeAaW by cambrian_era@radical.town
       2020-02-19T01:15:05Z
       
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       @AudreyJune Yeah. Because I have good insurance (yay for my union) it's fine, but it's still ridiculous.
       
 (DIR) Post #9sBDdLMKuBc1734CI4 by AudreyJune@radical.town
       2020-02-19T01:18:54Z
       
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       @cambrian_era absolutely. It’s a system that is now setup to justify its own existence.And the most complicated aspects deal with the highest cost treatments, things most of us will only hopefully experience super rarely. It makes it just impossible for any kind of transparency at the times when people need it most.