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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: combjelly who wrote (199429)	9/1/2004 5:37:49 PM
From: i-node	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1572649

>> "They charge MORE if you are uninsured." This is, of course, incorrect, and strictly illegal. You can't legally bill insurance a different amount than you bill self-pays. Providers are, of course, free to enter into deals with insurance companies that provide, essentially, that the insurance company will pay for its patients to see a given provider, PROVIDED that the provider agrees to accept as full payment the amount usually paid by that insurance company. This is done as an inducement for for patients to have coverage with that company. It is not atypical for an individual family practice physician to write off hundreds of thousands of dollars under such arrangements in a year. The provider is induced to take these writeoffs in exchange for a steady flow of patients into their clinic. In some states, insurance companies like United Health have such control of the patient base that physicians are forced to enter into these contracts in order to stay in business.