Nonprofit hospital surpluses raise questions for patients, especially those struggling with medical bills: lancasteronline.com

Jeanne Pinder August 29, 2018

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Nonprofit hospital surpluses raise questions for patients, especially those struggling with medical bills: lancasteronline.com

“A recent report by Pennsylvania’s health care industry watchdog shows that most of the hospitals frequented by Lancaster County residents take in significantly more money than industry experts say is necessary to maintain stable operations,” The Lancaster Online editorial board wrote recently. “As staff writer Heather Stauffer reported in the Money section of the July […]

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How much does a hysterectomy cost? $125,000 or $7,700?

Jeanne Pinder August 28, 2018

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How much does a hysterectomy cost? $125,000 or $7,700?

How much does a hysterectomy cost? Depends on the kind of hysterectomy, of course, and where it takes place. A community member sent in the bill here from a procedure in a Pasadena hospital. Total charges weere $125,585.84, insurance company writedown of $107,674.84. The insurer paid $13,607.52, and the patient was responsible for $4,303.48. Here’s […]

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Misleading insurance company paperwork, Chapter 436

Jeanne Pinder August 26, 2018

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Misleading insurance company paperwork, Chapter 436

Is it a payment or an adjustment? Wait, it’s both! This bill for a colonoscopy clearly identifies the sum of $722.13 as both a payment and an adjustment. The vertical “payments” column is quite clear. Just as clearly, there was no payment at all, judging from the horizontal selection. We have seen a lot of insurance […]

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Why should I care about how much my health care costs? – CIVHC.org

Jeanne Pinder August 19, 2018

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Why should I care about how much my health care costs? – CIVHC.org

“For those of us fortunate enough to have health insurance, it is easy to anticipate the costs we will pay for health care services,” writes Rachel Linn at the Center for Improving Value in Health Care blog in Colorado. “For example, I have a fixed co-pay plan, and know that if I visit my doctor, […]

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Hospital finances are stronger than ever, California doctor says

Jeanne Pinder August 5, 2018

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Hospital finances are stronger than ever, California doctor says

By David Belk, M.D. David Belk, a California doctor, has an interest in pricing and has researched and written on this topic for The Huffington Post and at his own site, TrueCostOfHealthCare.org. He sent this via email the other day, and I asked if I could repost it. The next time hospitals tell you they’re […]

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LabCorp program offers discounted fees on lab tests for uninsured people or cash patients

Jeanne Pinder

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LabCorp program offers discounted fees on lab tests for uninsured people or cash patients

LabCorp, the national lab test chain, has a program called “LabAccess Partnership program,” with discounted fees on a menu of routine clinical tests for patients who are uninsured or whose health care benefits do not cover clinical laboratory testing. Other payment options separate from private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid, Labcorp says on its site, include […]

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Under 1% of patients use this trick to save hundreds on medical bills: We’re featured on CNBC

Jeanne Pinder August 4, 2018

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Under 1% of patients use this trick to save hundreds on medical bills: We’re featured on CNBC

“Last summer, I had one of those ‘$400 emergencies,’ except in my case it could have been a four-figure emergency, and a potentially life-threatening one to boot,” Ester Bloom writes over at CNBC, in a piece about shopping for health care that features us. “A primary care physician found a lump and sent me to […]

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What to know before you buy short-term health insurance: The New York Times

Jeanne Pinder August 1, 2018

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What to know before you buy short-term health insurance: The New York Times

“The Trump administration has just completed rules that will allow people to shop for a new kind of health insurance,” Margot Sanger-Katz writes over at The New York Times. “So-called short-term plans will be offered for relatively long periods — just under a year at a time, with renewals for up to 36 months — […]

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Hey there, UnitedHealthCare! Can we help you figure out how much a sleep study costs?

Jeanne Pinder July 31, 2018

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Hey there, UnitedHealthCare! Can we help you figure out how much a sleep study costs?

We’re always interested in seeing who’s visiting. Today, someone from UnitedHealthCare in Plymouth, Minn., spent 6 minutes reading our post about how much a sleep study costs. Here’s a screenshot from our Clicky analytics panel. We’re happy to be providing such valuable services to the insurance industry! It’s also clear that they found us by […]

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When insurers drop medications for cheap alternatives, the effects can be devastating for some patients: Philly.com

Jeanne Pinder July 19, 2018

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When insurers drop medications for cheap alternatives, the effects can be devastating for some patients: Philly.com

“Splashing around in the pool, skin slick with sunscreen, Shane Butcher was a normal 9-year-old kid on a perfect summer day. And then he wasn’t,” Sarah Gantz writes over at The Philadelphia Inquirer. “He floated toward the edge of the pool, energy suddenly replaced by a vacant expression, his blood sugar plummeting so low he […]

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Category: Health plans