Posts Tagged ‘florida health risks’
Open Wallet, Proceed to Surgery
More and more, doctors and other health practitioners are asking patients – even those with insurance – to pay their share of the costs up front, either before they are treated or before they leave the office.
Providers say the practice isn’t entirely new. But with patients now shouldering a greater share of health costs, through insurance plans with higher deductibles, co-pays, and coinsurance, they acknowledge a bigger push to collect fees at the time of service. The providers say that it becomes more difficult to collect from patients after they walk out the door.
Some worry that up-front costs could affect patients’ relationships with their doctors. Other worry they could lead to people delaying or avoiding treatment and care. They also say that dealing with up-front costs in the midst of an illness or health crisis adds stress to an already stressful situation.
We, at Peoples Health Insurance, say that if you have health insurance, you should always ask the provider to bill your insurance carrier so that you can receive the “negotiated” rate for that service. Not unless the office is willing to negotiate a usual, customary, and reasonable rate; also known as UCR.
Finally, we think that cost shifting is going to continue, and therefore, patients must become more savvy about the health care system and learn know how it works. That is one reason why our agency stands taller than other organizations; our agents have a diverse back ground in the health care industry!