> Absolutely no one will tell you how much things are, and when you ask, they sass you that it is a ridiculous question.
> You’ll be asked to take a diagnostic not knowing whether it will cost $10 or $15000
I feel this in my bones and it makes me irrationally (or maybe it's rational actually) angry. Find me any other industry where you can get away with not telling how much something will cost (or even a realistic range) before services are rendered.
I had a medical procedure a year or so ago and when I asked how much it would cost I got an eye roll, a lengthy and exasperated lecture, and in the end the number they quoted was wildly different. I knew I was going to hit my out-of-pocket maximum so I gave up after a while and moved on but it makes me so mad. I _wish_ I could "vote with my wallet" but good luck doing that unless you have unlimited time and energy. By the time I finally got to asking about the price I had been through multiple appointments that took forever to schedule, were weeks or months in the future, all while I needed relief. After being strung along for 6 months I gave up and rolled the dice even though I disliked how they treated me when I asked for the price.
People talk about how you need to be an informed customer but I have to assume those people are lying snakes, have never used the system, or just too stupid to understand that it's impossible.
"I don't know" should _not_ be a valid answer when asking how much something costs, it's ridiculous.
That’s exactly what we experienced. There is no way to be an informed customer or “vote with your wallet”. For many diagnostics and services, the “provider” is 2 referrals downstream – the patient never elects or engages with them.
Plus, your life is on the line. If they don’t run the test, it means the wrong treatment and your prognosis goes from 80% survival to 80% mortality
> I got an eye roll, a lengthy and exasperated lecture...
This is the part that is galling to me. Apparently no healthcare worker I've ever spoken with about billing has ever had the same considerations I do re: finances. My inquiries have almost always been met with zero empathy and contempt that I would even be so gauche as to ask.
(It's 1000x worse when you're talking to them about your child's medical care. My daughter, at 3 y/o, had a short fall and received a small cut on her face. It bled profusely so we took her to the ER. We ended up with x-rays because I couldn't successful "negotiate" that we didn't want that. The shaming was intense.)
A family member had a procedure a few years ago. Provider told the patient that they had contacted their insurer and received confirmation it would be covered. Went ahead with the procedure.
Bill arrives and the insurer denies coverage. Provider says "oh well <shrug> you owe us $$$ now".
Since I am the resident argumentative asshole in the family I dig into the situation a bit. After many phone calls I am eventually told that the hospital routinely records all phone calls with insurance companies and furthermore has found the recording where they gave advance guarantee of coverage for the procedure.
At this point I realized we are being shaken down by a corrupt/criminal enterprise. Even with the recorded phone call the insurer refused to pay and so the patient had to pay off the $$$ over many months.
Similar situation with me and a procedure back in 2014. Practice took me on with my pre-ACA insurance. Post-procedure my insurer decided it was a pre-existing condition and didn't cover the procedure. For the practitioner, who went into the deal expecting the reimbursement rate from my insurer, it was a 10X windfall (and he refused to negotiate, citing that he was within his rights to demand the full fee).
I share the exasperation about the lack of empathy. I know these providers are humans and would ask the same questions. They probably negotiated their car, housekeeper over a few hundred dollars. But when I ask about $10k here or there for critical care suddenly I’m greedy or unrealistic?
> You’ll be asked to take a diagnostic not knowing whether it will cost $10 or $15000
I feel this in my bones and it makes me irrationally (or maybe it's rational actually) angry. Find me any other industry where you can get away with not telling how much something will cost (or even a realistic range) before services are rendered.
I had a medical procedure a year or so ago and when I asked how much it would cost I got an eye roll, a lengthy and exasperated lecture, and in the end the number they quoted was wildly different. I knew I was going to hit my out-of-pocket maximum so I gave up after a while and moved on but it makes me so mad. I _wish_ I could "vote with my wallet" but good luck doing that unless you have unlimited time and energy. By the time I finally got to asking about the price I had been through multiple appointments that took forever to schedule, were weeks or months in the future, all while I needed relief. After being strung along for 6 months I gave up and rolled the dice even though I disliked how they treated me when I asked for the price.
People talk about how you need to be an informed customer but I have to assume those people are lying snakes, have never used the system, or just too stupid to understand that it's impossible.
"I don't know" should _not_ be a valid answer when asking how much something costs, it's ridiculous.