RF Cascade Workbook for Excel
RF & Electronics Symbols for Visio
RF & Electronics Symbols for Office
RF & Electronics Stencils for Visio
RF Workbench
T-Shirts, Mugs, Cups, Ball Caps, Mouse Pads
Espresso Engineering Workbook™
Smith Chart™ for Excel
|
|
Be Sure to Ask for a Discount - RF Cafe Forums
|
Kirt Blattenberger
|
Post subject: Be Sure to Ask for a Discount
Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2009 9:41 am
|
|
|
Site Admin |
|
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2003 2:02 pm Posts: 878
Location: Erie, PA |
Greetings: We often hear about how the advent of medical insurance is responsible
for sky-high costs of care. In the two years now that I have been self-employed and
paying for my own insurance (just a catastrophic coverage plan with a $7,000 - yes seven
thousand - deductible), I have seen evidence of that being the case. Recently,
I had a minor surgical procedure performed. The amount presented to the insurance company
(BCBS) for being applied toward my out-of-pocket deductible will total around $1,350.
The amount I paid on my credit card (I get 2% back on it) was $470. The cost for surgical
consultation cast me $95, but the insurance record shows $475. That's a significant
difference. Melanie recently got a 10% discount on having a tooth crown replaced
by paying cash. The key is to ask. An honest assessment is that if it were not
for the doctors being able to collect the higher amounts from insurance companies, my
costs would have been higher. It is like when doctors have to settle for the very low
amounts paid to them by Medicare and Medicaid - others pay more to compensate.
The only better deal is to sneak into the country illegally and get you to pay for
it all.
_________________ - Kirt Blattenberger
RF Cafe Progenitor & Webmaster
|
|
|
|
|
Miss Match
|
Post subject: Re: Be Sure to Ask for a Discount
Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 12:06 pm
|
|
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 11:58 am Posts: 5
|
I had the same kind of experience with my doctor for having a mole cut off. The cash
cost was $125 for the 5-minute office procedure. The insurance company was presented
with a cost of $350 which like you wnet toward my deductible. So it didn't cost the
insurance company a dime but that's what they would have paid if the procedure was covered.
I can only imagine how corrupt the entire system will be once the socalized medicine
goes into effect. Based on stories I hear about places like Canada, rather than an on
the spot treatment like I got I'd probably have to either wait months to have the mole
removed or they would just refuse to do it at all. Once the US system goes down, the
people from Canada will have nowhere to go for treatment unless they fly to India or
China. I hear the rates are really cheap there anywany, and even with the price of an
airline ticket and hotel can actually be way less. God help us!
|
|
|
&
|
|
LM317
|
Post subject: Re: Be Sure to Ask for a Discount
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:08 pm
|
|
Joined: Tue May 20, 2008 8:13 pm Posts: 17
|
Yeah I'm self-employed as well. I always require a price discount or I go somewhere
else. I guess if you have an emergency of some sort you don't have that luxury. Although,
I have read stories of people demanding to be taken to a different hospital when the
ambulance takes them to one they don't like.
|
|
Posted 11/12/2012
|
Copyright: 1996 - 2024
Webmaster:
Kirt
Blattenberger,
BSEE - KB3UON
RF Cafe began life in 1996 as "RF Tools" in an AOL screen name web space totaling
2 MB. Its primary purpose was to provide me with ready access to commonly needed
formulas and reference material while performing my work as an RF system and circuit
design engineer. The World Wide Web (Internet) was largely an unknown entity at
the time and bandwidth was a scarce commodity. Dial-up modems blazed along at 14.4 kbps
while tying up your telephone line, and a nice lady's voice announced "You've Got
Mail" when a new message arrived...
|
All trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other rights of ownership to images
and text used on the RF Cafe website are hereby acknowledged.
|
All trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other rights of ownership to images
and text used on the RF Cafe website are hereby acknowledged.
My Hobby Website: AirplanesAndRockets.com
My Daughter's Website: EquineKingdom
|
|
|
|