Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

BC/BS made a mistake, so I had my procedure yesterday after all.

It didn't work, so I go back Friday to try again.

Good Luck!

I get your frustration with this as I had the same realization years back when my wife was pregnant with one of our kids. I actually brought this up with the doctor and was suprised that he actually was willing to discuss it.

Now, my youngest child is 25 years old so this converstation happened some time ago, but at that time, he stated that one of his many expenses was Malpractice insurance. At that time he was paying over $100,000 per year in Malpractice insurance without ever having submitted a claim. I don't remember what the cost of an office visit was at the time, but it was not anywhere close to $650, probably more like $100-$200. So how many office visits would he have to take to simply pay that bill? Never mind the cost of the office itself, the medical equipment that he had to maintain, the staff salaries and so on.

I am not trying to defend the doctors nor the insurance industry. However, there is one HUGE hidden cost that most people don't consider when thinking about the costs in healthcare and that is the Legal community that is more than willing to sue doctors for any perceived injustice. A mom smokes and drinks throughout her pregnancy and the child is born with issues and the first thing she does and call a lawyer and sue the doctor. I know that sounds extreme, but things like this happen more than you would think.

I appreciate the perspective and I do get your point. The weird part is that I don't blame the doctor in our circumstance, especially because she isn't dictating the price. I just dislike the system and the overall "non-profit" parent company in the Cleveland Clinic.. And maybe it's not just the clinic but the overall system and I'll be the first to say I don't know it well enough to know where the blame falls or remotely have any idea how to improve it. We certainly benefit from it in my household since she falls under the hospital insurance and it covers everything. Seriously everything. Our first child was 8 years ago under my insurance and it was over 14k out of pocket. Every child since that has been $50-$150 total in co-pays. Total! My brain surgery billed out at over $400,000 and my out of pocket with her insurance was $350 and I had access to one of the best brain surgeons on the planet.. so there's plenty i need to be grateful or and our family is massively blessed with the coverage we have so it's not really my issue to fight in life, but i have so many people in my life that are crushed by medical costs and insurance outside our family that it's tough to see. Again, my knowledge on this topic is thin and I'm sure there's far more that's broken than $8 Ibuprofen and $650 10 minute visits, but it was just a red flag that lots must be broken if this is the cost breakdown. If we were on my former insurance and we had co-insurance, it would have financially bent us over the last few years. 

BC/BS made a mistake, so I had my procedure yesterday after all.

It didn't work, so I go back Friday to try again.

So you COULD keep your doctor!

(That’s great news! Though it is annoying that you had to go through the uncertainty)

so, when given the choice between being financially ruined or simply not paying…what really happens if you just don’t pay. Like millions of people have to do ? 

Well, as a homeowner, when the debt is large enough and ends up with a collection company, it can lead to a lien on the property and a debt that could be required to pay. A lot of people end up in chapter 13 bankruptcy from not paying the debt if they have something that could be legally gone after. 

BC/BS made a mistake, so I had my procedure yesterday after all.

It didn't work, so I go back Friday to try again.

Gimme their address i still have some left over manhole covers,Best wishes.

I appreciate the perspective and I do get your point. The weird part is that I don't blame the doctor in our circumstance, especially because she isn't dictating the price. I just dislike the system and the overall "non-profit" parent company in the Cleveland Clinic.. And maybe it's not just the clinic but the overall system and I'll be the first to say I don't know it well enough to know where the blame falls or remotely have any idea how to improve it. We certainly benefit from it in my household since she falls under the hospital insurance and it covers everything. Seriously everything. Our first child was 8 years ago under my insurance and it was over 14k out of pocket. Every child since that has been $50-$150 total in co-pays. Total! My brain surgery billed out at over $400,000 and my out of pocket with her insurance was $350 and I had access to one of the best brain surgeons on the planet.. so there's plenty i need to be grateful or and our family is massively blessed with the coverage we have so it's not really my issue to fight in life, but i have so many people in my life that are crushed by medical costs and insurance outside our family that it's tough to see. Again, my knowledge on this topic is thin and I'm sure there's far more that's broken than $8 Ibuprofen and $650 10 minute visits, but it was just a red flag that lots must be broken if this is the cost breakdown. If we were on my former insurance and we had co-insurance, it would have financially bent us over the last few years.

I understand where you are coming from. Seeing things like $8 for Ibuprofen and $650 for a 10 min visit will alarm a lot of people, myself included. And I've had my fair share of medical issues over the past few years. I spent 3 months in the hospital in 2012-2013 from getting the flu. My total bill came in north of $500,000. 

But I do think there are things that could be done if people band together and attempt to make changes to the health care delivery system in this country. Perhaps incentize people to shop around for low cost providers for medical procedures such as MRI's or in my previous example, getting blood tests. Maybe a system were the insurance company will pay the full cost of the service if you do the leg work and get a lower cost. Demand that healthcare providers provide their costs up front so that people can shop around for lower cost alternatives. 

But the biggest thing that could help in my opinion would be Tort reform. Currently, if someone files a lawsuit, the defendent needs to lawyer up and put on a defense if they wish to fight the suit. Even if the defendent wins, they are still out the money spent on their defense. If we went to a system were the loser pays, perhaps many lawsuits could be averted. 

I know that sounds pretty simplistic and there would have to be more thought put into than that, but I think you get my point. Many companies will simply pay the plaintive just to avoid the hassle if the amount they are demanding is below a certain threshold. But it still adds thoses costs to their cost of doing business which is ultimately passed onto the consumer. 

Not going back Friday now. Pumping the breaks for a bit, on the advice of my cardiologist.

Got it done yesterday.

Both legs are blockage free. My cardiologist was right. He was convinced this guy could do it and it was well worth the drive to Bradenton.


Gino J. Sedillo, MD, FACC - Cardiovascular Solutions Institute