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Politics : A US National Health Care System?
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To: i-node who wrote (40098)7/21/2015 8:37:07 AM
From: Alighieri1 Recommendation

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2sigma

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This $153,000 rattlesnake bite is everything wrong with American health care


But the other reason why hospitals charge so much is the byzantine negotiating process that happens between hospitals and insurance companies to determine the final payout amount. In the case of the $143,000 snakebite in 2012, for instance, Scripps Hospital in San Diego explained that "it is important to understand that these charges are not reflective of what Scripps will be paid. At this time, the patient’s insurance company has not yet paid the bill, and Scripps is in negotiations with the company for the final amount."

In many cases a hospital bill isn't actually a bill, but essentially an instrument in a complex negotiation between insurers and caregivers, with bewildered patients stuck in the middle. It's difficult to know which charges are real and which ones aren't, and which bills to pay and which ones to ignore. It's one reason why medical debt is a huge factor in so many bankruptcies.


washingtonpost.com
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