Thursday, March 05, 2009

Healthcare Headache

Yesterday I got the statement from my insurance company regarding my recent trip to the emergency room (some kidney stones simply require IV drugs). It left me asking myself the same two questions I often find myself thinking with regards to health insurance.

1. If the hospital can bill my insurance $515 for a service, how is it that my insurance company only needs to pay them $159?

Of course, I don't really want the insurance company explanation for how they have negotiated this special rate with the hospital, or my doctor, or the lab, or any number of providers that will accept less money than their billed rate. I want to know why they can't just provide the lower rate to everyone--insurance or not. I can't help but feel that one of the main reasons for the high cost of healthcare stems from the fact that, by-and-large, the consumer has no direct contact with the price being charged. In a free market, the consumer will shop around and find the provider with the best price. This competition helps to keep prices reasonable. In the healthcare system, the price is being artificially set through bureaucratic negotiations between two providers and no consumers. How can we help but expect an aspirin administered to you in the hospital to cost less than $10 when this is the way price is managed?

2. Why on earth does health insurance work this way anyway?

I have homeowners insurance and automobile insurance. When I need to put gas in my car or need to make home repairs, I pay for these things myself. If I were to ask my insurance company to pay all or part of those costs, they would laugh me out of the room. And yet, we all expect our health insurance to pay for routine care. How much more affordable would health insurance be if it worked like other insurance--covering the calamities only? How much more selective would we be in the services we choose to receive if we were paying for them ourselves? And, with lowered demand on routine services, how much would those costs drop to a level that would be more affordable for everyone?

I just paid $25 for a $267 visit with a urologist, during which he gave me a list of foods I should avoid, told me how much water I should be drinking, and asked me to come back for further testing after my pregnancy has ended. The doctor was very nice and helpful, but I have to admit, if I had been paying that $267 amount, I would have opted out of the whole visit.

There is so much talk among conservatives right now about how our country will become socialist under Barack Obama. I have to say that I think we've moved a lot farther in that direction already than we realize. It is the capitalist ideals that we've already abandoned little by little that have the potential to truly reform the healthcare system. Unfortunately, I am starting to get the feeling that too few of us buy into those ideals anymore.

3 comments:

Lórien said...

I'm sorry, do you have a guest blogger today? I think I hear Mitt's voice!!!

You have touched on many things I have thought about too. When I was in the hospital for my crazy illness months back I was shocked to see what advil/asprin cost. At LEAST $10 a PILL! That is insanity, and goes along with our health care costs being set at whatever the bureaucrat's can squeeze out of us. Because most don't care. Someone else is paying for it. I wonder what would happen if people started bringing their own tylenol to the hospital and wouldn't allow the hospital to charge them. Probably against some rule since the hospital is responsible, but what if you took it and then told them? They couldn't force you to overdose.....hmmmm I smell a conspiracy :-)

And how bad is it going to get now that EVERYONE will get insurance no matter the cost? Socialism is on it's way in and we have front row seats. The only way I see for this to work is to privatize and make the American people find the plan that works for them. Insurance companies would have to work harder to gain our dollar instead of blindly receiving each employee on a plan, etc.

This was a great post. Thanks for sharing.

Rachelle said...

oooh I spent a horrific day yesterday dealing with both of my insurance companies! All I have to say is AMEN!

Jennifer said...

Lorien~What high praise! I'm thinking if you went to the hospital with your own Tylenol, they would probably charge you for it anyway. Paperwork, and all that, you know.