My 4 year old is starting school next year so it is time for his "required " shots. My wife calls the office and explains what my son needs. No problem, only $400-$600 dollars for the visit, physical, and 4 shots since we have no insurance.

I'm starting to sweat a little and she says that she will try DHS (dept of human services). We are not black, hispanic, white trash or poor (no offense intended to any group mentioned) so service is always a little sloppy. Subsequently she hates going. I come home today for lunch and asked how it went @ DHS.

Much to my amazement she said it cost a grand total of $5 dollars. Thats right $5 for everything. You tell me that the insurance companies aren't driving up cost. This is an absolute outrage. I was so mad I wanted to call his regular doctors office and chew on their a$$ but I know it is the insurance companies who actually do this to the little guy.

I'm still pissed and I'm only out $5

You do understand that $5 didn't come close to covering the actual cost right? If all Dr's offices were subsidized by taxpayer dollars you could get a deal there too.

I've done that before.  It was cheaper for me to get my shots for college at the clinic than to pay my insurance co-pay.  Would do it again, and maybe even with my kids if they only needed a shot and it wasn't time for a physical or whatever, to justify the cost.

That $5 is because your entire visit was subsidized by tax dollars.



You're welcome.

While corporate medicine is unsurpassed in gouging the consumer, just exactly who do you think paid for your son's shots?

At $5, you didn't. Plain and simple. Well, I suppose you paid for some of it in your tax dollars.

While I am it, he only got the shots, correct?
No exam, etc.

I know where you are coming from though. I have been through the mill will docs who run up big bills and do nothing. Finally got the issue addressed after 1 year and $2K in 2 visits. First visit was $1,000 with lab, $380 for the doc visit.  And not so much as a thank you when he pulled his finger out of my ass. LOL.

I think I paid for it as well as many other tax paying citizens. Why can't there be a happy medium? I guess it really is becoming the haves and have nots

What shots did you have to have for college?  



 

I have first hand experience and access to data about billing and workload of medical clinics.  I ran a report on billing revenue vs patient volume in 2010.  It was astonishing, some clinics at my company tripled their revenues in 2010 vs 2009, volume wasn't much different in 2010 but the revenue sure as hell was.  The company had a record revenue year, didn't surprise me at all.
The big spike in revenue came in March 2010.  That's when Obamacare was signed.  I think the insurance companies are making as much hay as they can before they are abolished.