I have some very hardworking patients.  They go to work, take care of their kids and have nice homes.  

They have to pay high co-pays, lots of medicines are not covered and the ones that are covered have high co-pays.  They have to wait for some procedures and cant get certain new procedures because its not approved by their insurance.  What their insurance doesnt cover, they have to cover themselves.  I had 60 yo lady who had 2 jobs come in and ask me to put her on a payment plan.  She said she would pay her way.  I was heartbroken.  She really didnt have anything but also didnt want a handout.  I did it for free but she tried to pay anyway.  I settled for some cookies.  

Then I have a teenage high school drop out meth addict working on her 5th kid.  Get no co-pays, no restrictions of operations or anything.  All her meds are free and I have to see her because if I dont they can restrict other insurances that I can take.

I guess we do need a minimum of care but why are we paying for those that put nothing into the system?

ETA: I wont even start about illegals, the hispanic kind as well as asian and arabic that cheat and steal our healthcare dollars everyday.

Welcome to America.
First trip here?

I had to cancel our insurance so we could pay medical bills.

I don't even want to get into my insurance issues.

My job provides no bennies of any of the usual sort.

If we get sick....Oh well.  

Mrs Goon used to be friends with some welfare recipient types, but,
ended up ending that relationship.  I was an E-5 in the Army and, we
were eating thier steak, shrimp, and, fish leftovers because they just
didn't do leftovers.

Lucky ntohing really bad has happened to any of us yet.

I've made up my mind to switch jobs by the end of the year.

I'm planning on liquidating my assests and putting my property in my kids names down the road so that if anything happens I can just go on welfare and still get medical help with out going broke and losing everything. Fuck that. I've been a taxpayer all my life. It's time to collect the interest.

My wife and I just had our first baby in December.
We paid $5 for that baby and that was for the first visit.  No co-pay or anything for the entire pregnancy and delivery.  Too bad that my wife's insurance will be changing to a different company/policy next month.  

Most folks do not realize the average senior who has planned for retirement and has good Medicare supplemental insurance can find themselves broke and without a home over one serious illness.

You work your whole life a prepare for retirement and over night it is all gone… while on the other hand a border jumper gets free health care.

I don’t know the solution but what we are doing is a train wreck in progress.

I work for unitedhealth care and its sad to see how companies are screwing their employees even old retirees.  

The health coverage that we have is horrible and expensive , Imagine that a health insurance company that has poor coverage and we work for them.

Another thing that frost my ass:

the poor uninsured bastard gets a bill for some huge amount. Full price

OTOH, the insurance company will wind up paying a whole lot less for the same service. Huge discount.

Really puts the screws to some poor bastard that can't afford insurance.

Quoted: Another thing that frost my ass: the poor uninsured bastard gets a bill for some huge amount. Full price OTOH, the insurance company will wind up paying a whole lot less for the same service. Huge discount. Really puts the screws to some poor bastard that can't afford insurance.

your telling me

Lab charges are retarded when it comes to contracted rate I see bills in the hundreds and the pay out is usually around thirty to forty dollars.

Quoted: I work for unitedhealth care and its sad to see how companies are screwing their employees even old retirees.   The health coverage that we have is horrible and expensive , Imagine that a health insurance company that has poor coverage and we work for them.

DUDE!!!
You work for

Quoted: I work for unitedhealth care and its sad to see how companies are screwing their employees even old retirees.   The health coverage that we have is horrible and expensive , Imagine that a health insurance company that has poor coverage and we work for them.

Damn those fuckers owe me over $25,000 in unpaid bills that were approved. They just wont pay!

Medicare owes me > $90,000.00, which I will never see.

I have closed my company and now make 1/5 what I used to.  Nine people were put out of jobs and the loss of revenue has had serious repercussions on my families health and mental status...

Oh, well.  Time to pick up the pieces and be smarter this time....CASH is King...


United Health Care, BC/BS, Medicare...they are all the same...thay own some of the biggest and best real estate in every city they dwell in...ever wonder how they afford that?

By ripping off both ends...the patient and the providers!

Quoted: Medicare owes me > $90,000.00, which I will never see. I have closed my company and now make 1/5 what I used to.  Nine people were put out of jobs and the loss of revenue has had serious repercussions on my families health and mental status... Oh, well.  Time to pick up the pieces and be smarter this time....CASH is King... United Health Care, BC/BS, Medicare...they are all the same...thay own some of the biggest and best real estate in every city they dwell in...ever wonder how they afford that? By ripping off both ends...the patient and the providers!

Thats not far from the truth.  When the government allowed the HMOs to administer medicaid patients, the costs went up and  the reimbursements went down.  They take over 10-20% off the top to administer to medicaid accounts.  So I all of a sudden get a 10% discount in my reimbursements.  So its even less then medicaid.  WTF over!

Question for ARDOC...

How big of difference is there between what insurance pays vs. what people with no insurance gets charged?  For example if a woman walks in 2 months pregnant how much will it cost her (if she had no insurance) for the monthly/weekly visits plus a normal delivery and what would insurance pay for such case?

I don't need anything specific just some comparable figures

Quoted: Question for ARDOC... How big of difference is there between what insurance pays vs. what people with no insurance gets charged?  For example if a woman walks in 2 months pregnant how much will it cost her (if she had no insurance) for the monthly/weekly visits plus a normal delivery and what would insurance pay for such case? I don't need anything specific just some comparable figures

Yobo it really depends on the insurance.

Medicaid will pay about $1300 for delivery and prenatal care.

BCBS may pay $3000

HMOs may pay somewhere in the middle.

So its hard to give an exact number.  The pay schedule comes in a book as thick as a phone book.

Someone with no insurance will get soaked for the full fare.   Around $3000-5000 for everything.  Hospital charges are extra.  So the lesson here to make a deal.  Hospital says you will pay this much, you say no and say lets make a deal. They will deal.

I had a french lady come in labor.  God knows why she was here so late in her pregnancy.  She took out her gold card paid me my $3000 and the french government reimbursed her because they have socialized medicine.  I was never so glad to stick to the french!