- On CNN - Economic Advice

[Guest guest]

This

morning I saw a segment on CNN Morning News with Robin Meade where their

economic advisor, , was advising viewers 2 things. Both

really got my blood boiling.

Review all bills received from

doctors, hospitals and labs. Most will send you a bill if your

insurance does not pay. He claimed 85% of the time the reason the

insurance didn’t pay was because the doctor or the hospital made a

mistake. If the office or the hospital makes a mistake that prevents

the bill from being paid properly by your insurance company, do not pay

any bill from the office until you have verified exactly why the insurance

didn’t pay. If they indicate that there was a billing error,

rather than paying the bill, return a letter to the hospital or physician

with an explanation that they (the patient) is not liable for the

charges due to their billing error. Request that they cease and desist

further billing attempts and collection efforts as the bill is unjust.

Look at overseas options for

optional elective care not covered by your insurer or covered but your

deductible is so outrageous it might as well be called non-covered.

He also claimed that a lot of insurers are starting to contract with

clinics and hospitals out of this country to get the lower costs for these

procedures and to reduce the average cost per procedure to reduce their

out of pocket charges.

Anyone

besides me think this is bullshit. Let’s have the people go to

clinics and hospitals that do not have to comply with all of these overhead

killing federal mandates, but let us calculate the allowable amount based on

the lower rate being paid to these out of the country sites and to hell with

the survival of my practice, that is SICK & TIRED of new mandates.

Beth

Sullivan, DO

Clinical

Administrator

Ridgeway

Family Practice

Commerce,

GA 30529