re: .

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People with "pre-existing" conditions (I'm using that term loosely) were/are being outright denied coverage for certain things by their own insurers.

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This hasn't stopped with the HCA, and in my experience and the experiences of friends and relatives that have shared with me, has only gotten worse.

A few years ago I went to see a specialist after having some pretty alarming symptoms persist for more than a few days. Doctor looks at my symptoms, looks at my family history and orders a few labs. Insurance pre-authorizes them, everything is run and results come back eliminating my biggest fears but without really any resolution. A more invasive approach is taken and I get a few answers, thankfully nothing major. A few weeks later I get a bill for the labs for over $3000 because they were "investigative and exploratory" Well no shite they were investigative, these weren't the kind of tests you take for the fun of it. Thankfully the doctors office reduced the payment to a cash price of $600. Pre-HCA the labs may or may not have been covered, but the follow up procedure would have cost me $100 out the door rather than a $800 deductible that I had to pay for it, and probably would have been run first, eliminating the need for the lab.

Also that there is a 500% markup between cash and insurance price is insane to me.