quote:

Transparency is a slippery slope. What if the patient decides that three troponins are too expensive? Or if a CBC is not necessary with chest pain, but the etiology of the chest pain is cardiac ischemia due to severe anemia due to an occult GI bleed and demand ischemia? Do doctors let patients dictate their care based on costs? Or do doctors practice evidenced based medicine regardless of costs? Or do the doctors shotgun lab tests to make sure they cover everything to make sure they don't get sued?

Valid questions, all.

The problem is that HDHP plans are based on this idea that a consumer is going to "take charge" of their health care. And with some decisions, that's fine (take generics vs brand, use a NP instead of a doctor for minor issues, etc).

But for the real expensive stuff, no one can replace the knowledge of an MD, regardless of cost. So, where does that put us?

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Posted by thekid

Anna, Tx

Member since May 2006

3940 posts

Posted on 4/9/17 at 5:04 am to LSUFanHouston

First of all, don't start paying anything immediately. The medical facility and insurance company will go back and forth on the bill several times before what you owe is finally worked out. You can then pay on it monthly without any repercussions as long as you pay them something each month. There should be no interest...if you get a call from the hospital pressuring you to pay it all, tell them this is what I can afford.

Unfortunately this info comes from some hard lessons...we got a 3k credit 3 years after my wife's back surgery that we didn't know about because overpaid our bills...I'm glad we got the money back but we needed way more three years earlier.

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