• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

Everything OT Told Us About ObamaCare

Mike

Well-known member
was a lie.................................................

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Get ready to whip out your credit card before you are wheeled into the operating room or undergo an MRI.

Hospitals are increasingly asking patients to pay for procedures either upfront or before they are discharged. That's because Americans are shouldering a greater portion of their health care bills, and medical centers don't want to get stuck with patients that can't pay.

Traditionally, neither patients nor providers knew the exact price of procedures until after the insurer processed the charges. Now, however, new technology is allowing hospitals to determine the patient's responsibility in advance of treatment.

Starting the cost conversation early is especially important now because patients are facing higher deductibles and larger payments for services. Some are surprised to find out that they have to fork over thousands of dollars before their insurance even kicks in, hospital administrators said.

The policies available on the Obamacare exchanges are hastening this trend. Many enrollees are opting for the bronze and silver plans, which often carry deductibles upwards of $5,000 and $2,000, respectively.

"The bronze plans are scaring a lot of administrators because the patient liability is so large," said Debra Lowe, administrative director of revenue cycle at Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center. "Patients are unaware they have this high deductible."

Related: Obamacare: Is a $2,000 deductible 'affordable?'

Upfront payments aren't usually required, but more hospitals are asking patients to settle the bill in advance. If patients can't afford the charges, some hospitals place them into financial assistance programs, such as payment plans or low-interest loans. Others help them sign up for Medicaid or individual coverage on the Obamacare exchanges. Patients can still opt to wait until after the bill goes through their insurance.

"We are trying to minimize the after-service bill shock and get them into financial assistance or some other program for more affordable care," said Andy Scianimanico, vice president for revenue cycle at Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, the parent company of Chicago's largest hospital.

Northwestern started upfront financial counseling with patients in 2011 and has now expanded it to four departments, including surgery and imaging. It plans to implement it in all areas of the four-hospital network over the next two years.

Soaring deductibles have prompted hospitals to be more aggressive about collecting in advance. The average deductible for an individual employer-sponsored policy has soared to $1,217, up 47% from five years ago, according to the 2014 Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research & Educational Trust report. For family policies, deductibles have soared 31% to $1,947.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
I called our local clinic about a medicare question and in the conversation I was told that with Blue Cross Blue Shield, some have 90 days to pay their premium. They had a transient who had a lot of tests run. The bill came to about $20,000. He showed them his insurance card. He works in the Bakken.

On day 92 Blue Cross Blue Shield took back their payments on this person because he hadn't paid his premiums and they can't find him.......she told me stuff like this would break clinics... :cry:
 

Traveler

Well-known member
"The bronze plans are scaring a lot of administrators because the patient liability is so large," said Debra Lowe, administrative director of revenue cycle at Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center. "Patients are unaware they have this high deductible."

The reason given for the Kenyan Socialist to cancel so many people's policies in the first place. The fix is obviously much worse. Who would've thought? :roll:
 
Top