Seriously--whatever did happen to the Hippocratic Oath? The hospital pegs the surgery at a "staggering" $113,000--and let's not forget that the bill is probably marked up 60% to begin with.
It's the mainstream media slant; everything is the fault of the insurance companies. What I truly wish is that for one month--ONE MONTH--everyone's insurance is suspended and they have to pay for EVERYTHING themselves. No PPO discounts, nothing. Then after getting raked over the coals by everyone from a chiropractor to a hospital like this, come back and tell us how bad their insurance really is.
I have to agree with Scuzz. My dealings with my insurers have always been good. In 20-plus years of group coverage, raising a family, etc., I have had three bad incidents over getting treatment paid for. In every case, the provider was the source of the problem, and my insurer (and they have been various) has had to play the role of the cavalry, saving the day.
My dealings with my insurers have always been good
Shill!
Seriously, Thanks to both of you for your comments. We try very hard to point out that there are usually (at least) two sides to these issues. And (IMHO) we're pretty good at calling out carriers for their misdeeds (just search on "Stupid carrier Tricks for proof of that).
This story, like the CIGNA one earlier, is an example of sloppy reporting, or (perhaps) pushing an agenda. I do understand that there are certain pieces here that we can't know (yet) because of HIPAA privacy regulations, but they should still have been raised, or at least acknowledged, by the "journalist."
I've been in contact with the folks at Aetna corporate, and they've graciously shared some of this with me, which I'll post later today. It took me only a few minutes to get the information, and I'm just a simple blogger.
Commenting by HaloScan
