Forcing Doctors to Take Medicare Patients

FredHayek wrote:

Morningstar1954 wrote: Why do a lot of doctors not take Medicare?
I think Doctors should take all patients if they don't now.
Someone explain this to me who is a doctor

The payment plans.
If someone pays cash, the doctor can get 100%.
Insurance companies may only pay 50%
Medicare might only pay 35%
So would you like people filling up your restaurant who were only going to pay you 35 cents on the dollar? And you have to submit paperwork to get your 35 cents.

My brother who runs a couple accupuncture clinics only takes cash and credit, too much of a hassle dealing with insurance companies and goverment plans.

At my Doctors office an office visit is $75 what they charge the Insurance Co
If I pay cash I only get charged $45

Everyone knows Doctors get rich off the Insurance Companies and they shouldn't be charging such high rates anyway!

ThePetParent wrote:

FredHayek wrote:

Morningstar1954 wrote: Why do a lot of doctors not take Medicare?
I think Doctors should take all patients if they don't now.
Someone explain this to me who is a doctor

The payment plans.
If someone pays cash, the doctor can get 100%.
Insurance companies may only pay 50%
Medicare might only pay 35%
So would you like people filling up your restaurant who were only going to pay you 35 cents on the dollar? And you have to submit paperwork to get your 35 cents.

My brother who runs a couple accupuncture clinics only takes cash and credit, too much of a hassle dealing with insurance companies and goverment plans.

At my Doctors office an office visit is $75 what they charge the Insurance Co
If I pay cash I only get charged $45

Everyone knows Doctors get rich off the Insurance Companies and they shouldn't be charging such high rates anyway!

Could you tell use which doctors office you are referring to? I would like to call them and inquire about your statement. I am a reporter for The Flume newspaper and there could be an interesting story here.

PM me if you rather do it that way.

ThePetParent wrote: At my Doctors office an office visit is $75 what they charge the Insurance Co
If I pay cash I only get charged $45

I agree about cash prices lower at the docs office, and Dentist office too. In my earlier post I was thinking of Hospital and Emergency rooms having higher list prices for uninsured cash patients.

Walter- you may like this story, about a Maine Doc switched to cash only and dropped prices. He even lists his prices on a web page- what a concept!

Personally I think running smaller charges thru "insurance" claims is highly inefficient, more expensive and consumers don't care if they have a fixed co-pay, but the ACA people are way smarter than me, so I will comply like a good little obedient tax-paying mandated citizen subject.. LOL

https://bangordailynews.com/2013/05/27/ ... es-online/

http://www.ciampifamilypractice.com/Our_Prices.html

ThePetParent wrote:

FredHayek wrote:

Morningstar1954 wrote: Why do a lot of doctors not take Medicare?
I think Doctors should take all patients if they don't now.
Someone explain this to me who is a doctor

The payment plans.
If someone pays cash, the doctor can get 100%.
Insurance companies may only pay 50%
Medicare might only pay 35%
So would you like people filling up your restaurant who were only going to pay you 35 cents on the dollar? And you have to submit paperwork to get your 35 cents.

My brother who runs a couple accupuncture clinics only takes cash and credit, too much of a hassle dealing with insurance companies and goverment plans.

At my Doctors office an office visit is $75 what they charge the Insurance Co
If I pay cash I only get charged $45

Everyone knows Doctors get rich off the Insurance Companies and they shouldn't be charging such high rates anyway!

A loto, maybe all, of that difference is the cost of processing the paperwork and the time value of $. Did you know there are degrees in how to code medical billing?

I would think everyone knows if your a cash paying patient there is a cash rate.
The doctors then don't have to file paperwork and they get paid on the spot
For another example:
I needed a bridge as I lost a tooth and I have dental insurance . I am a shopper and want the best deal. Went to my dentist got the cost of the bridge that was $2,000 and got it in writing.
They dentist is like an auto salesman, they get you into the conference room and tell you after exam and xrays...this is what it costs for the bridge so I asked for it in writing and I would get back to them.
Then I called different dentists and read to them what I needed and what the other dentist was charging for lab to get the bridge made, what it was made out of, in this case white gold with porcelain etc and he said he could do it for $1700, then I asked for it in writing, and then went and got several other quotes till I got to $1200, then I went in and saw my dentist and told him could he negotiate better than the last quote...And he said he would do the procedure for
$1000 if I could pay cash today for the same quality procedure originally quoted.

So if I just paid what was originally asked then I would have been severely taken advantage of and since I am not accustomed to paying for their Mercedes...I would rather buy my own and not theirs!

If you go to an Emergency Room, same thing.

They will bill you what they would bill the insurance company but...
If you tell them you don't have insurance then they will bill you a lower cash amount.
So say the bill in the ER was $8000.00 now you only pay $3000.00 but...
If you never talk to the business office that you want to pay cash they just keep on billing you the $8000

They are a business! They will just write off the rest as a loss and pay less taxes

To the Flume Reporter:

This is not some new news story..Channel 7 has done stories on negotiating with your doctor or dentist a couple of times if your a cash patient....not really news worthy.

ThePetParent wrote: Everyone knows Doctors get rich off the Insurance Companies and they shouldn't be charging such high rates anyway!

From your other comments in this thread, it's obvious that you already know that doctors do not get "rich" off of claims. Everything you just posted on this thread explains why cash payments can be discounted and preferred. The overhead cost of filing claims and keeping up with the whole mess takes a small army of people with specialized skills, whether they are people employed directly by the doctor or are third party services that the doctor must engage.

I realize it's not a news story and neither is much of what you are claiming.

Walter L Newton wrote:

ThePetParent wrote: Everyone knows Doctors get rich off the Insurance Companies and they shouldn't be charging such high rates anyway!

From your other comments in this thread, it's obvious that you already know that doctors do not get "rich" off of claims. Everything you just posted on this thread explains why cash payments can be discounted and preferred. The overhead cost of filing claims and keeping up with the whole mess takes a small army of people with specialized skills, whether they are people employed directly by the doctor or are third party services that the doctor must engage.

I realize it's not a news story and neither is much of what you are claiming.

Who do you think knows more about the subject matter? A reporter or someone who has worked In the field for 30 yrs?

ThePetParent wrote:

Walter L Newton wrote:

ThePetParent wrote: Everyone knows Doctors get rich off the Insurance Companies and they shouldn't be charging such high rates anyway!

From your other comments in this thread, it's obvious that you already know that doctors do not get "rich" off of claims. Everything you just posted on this thread explains why cash payments can be discounted and preferred. The overhead cost of filing claims and keeping up with the whole mess takes a small army of people with specialized skills, whether they are people employed directly by the doctor or are third party services that the doctor must engage.

I realize it's not a news story and neither is much of what you are claiming.

Who do you think knows more about the subject matter? A reporter or someone who has worked In the field for 30 yrs?

I don't know. I know a lot of people that have been doing something all their life and still don't know squat and are incompetent as hell (IE: see Obama). And my reporter gig is a much more recent diversion from the 20 years I spent in medical information technology... dealing with insurance companies. I know something about the subject I speak.

I also spent 15 years in at an information technology gig for a renewable energy research organization, if you're ever interested in debating renewable energy versus other energy sources.

But welcome to My Mountain Town... it's been getting a little top-heavy around here with stuffy old conservatives.