Tom Young
Member
- Location
- Illinois/Florida
The example in the warning is about Fees, specific to US healthcare billing. Since this is just the tip of the iceberg, feel free to add other example of fees that are being added to advertised or stated costs, for goods and services anywhere else.
I'll start with a fairly new phenomenom called "FACILITY FEES". In this case, it has to do the sudden rush for US Doctors to not only affiliate with hospitals, but to have their offices included in the hospital billing framework. In some cases, it cover doctors who have joined together in a hospital-remote clinic, but can also be for the traditional doctor's office.
Here's an example that happened to us. For the past ten years we have been going to the same doctor, who had located into a building, co-owned with three other doctors. About a year ago, we noticed that the letterhead for the doctor had changed... and that under her name, was a line that read: "XXXXX Medical Services"...
In our case, being on medicare, when the bills come in, usually 8 to 10 weeks later, after medicare and our medicare supplement insurance has paid the bill.... the annotated bill, with charging codes shows "You Owe $00.00." Happy to have no charges, we just file it.
This week, the hospital goofed, and didn't wait to receive the insurance benefits, and the entire bill came due. Stress test for my wife... $5897.00 plus one Doctors visit, $65, and a "Facility Fee" of $49 for that visit.. The facility fee was for the use of the building... (office only, not lab or special procedure rooms), making the doctor's visit $114, not $65, as had been the case a year earlier.
Here's the thing... as a "not quite there yet" geezer... I wouldn't have even noticed this on my other bills, earlier in the year, since they showed we owed zero. Yes our insurance paid, but someone collected $343 more than the normal doctors' visit fees. Money that wasn't paid a year ago.
Here's the point: Doctors who have not joined (joined versus affiliated) a medical facility do not make this charge, but the industry is putting the pressure on to have all doctors join the "hospital group".
To put a fine point on this, we don't pay more, but this kind of industry profit based management is costing everyone, and boosting annual healthcare increases by double digits.
At this point, other than switching to a doctor who doesn't charge a Facility Fee, is the only option.
This is just one "FEE". If you check your own bills, yould find similar "FEES" on other goods and services. Oddly enough, some businesses charge a FEE for handling payments sent by mail, while other charge a FEE for payments made by computer based withdrawals. An example of these added FEES, comes in my Vonage phone bill... A bill that is advertised as $9.99/mo., but which costs $16.97/mo. Some of the fees are listed a government connection and state fees, but there is a mysterious fee of $2.37/mo... that even the customer service people can't explain.
.........................................................................................................
My reason for posting, is that while I caught this, and can see what's happened, I wonder how many people who either pay directly (no insurance) or seniors, like myself, who hate to be confrontational and aggravated... and just pay up...
My wife and I have accepted an expense of about $500/yr, for bills that we pay, even though we know they're wrong.
A matter of keeping the blood pressure down. Not getting any easier.
I'll start with a fairly new phenomenom called "FACILITY FEES". In this case, it has to do the sudden rush for US Doctors to not only affiliate with hospitals, but to have their offices included in the hospital billing framework. In some cases, it cover doctors who have joined together in a hospital-remote clinic, but can also be for the traditional doctor's office.
Here's an example that happened to us. For the past ten years we have been going to the same doctor, who had located into a building, co-owned with three other doctors. About a year ago, we noticed that the letterhead for the doctor had changed... and that under her name, was a line that read: "XXXXX Medical Services"...
In our case, being on medicare, when the bills come in, usually 8 to 10 weeks later, after medicare and our medicare supplement insurance has paid the bill.... the annotated bill, with charging codes shows "You Owe $00.00." Happy to have no charges, we just file it.
This week, the hospital goofed, and didn't wait to receive the insurance benefits, and the entire bill came due. Stress test for my wife... $5897.00 plus one Doctors visit, $65, and a "Facility Fee" of $49 for that visit.. The facility fee was for the use of the building... (office only, not lab or special procedure rooms), making the doctor's visit $114, not $65, as had been the case a year earlier.
Here's the thing... as a "not quite there yet" geezer... I wouldn't have even noticed this on my other bills, earlier in the year, since they showed we owed zero. Yes our insurance paid, but someone collected $343 more than the normal doctors' visit fees. Money that wasn't paid a year ago.
Here's the point: Doctors who have not joined (joined versus affiliated) a medical facility do not make this charge, but the industry is putting the pressure on to have all doctors join the "hospital group".
To put a fine point on this, we don't pay more, but this kind of industry profit based management is costing everyone, and boosting annual healthcare increases by double digits.
At this point, other than switching to a doctor who doesn't charge a Facility Fee, is the only option.
This is just one "FEE". If you check your own bills, yould find similar "FEES" on other goods and services. Oddly enough, some businesses charge a FEE for handling payments sent by mail, while other charge a FEE for payments made by computer based withdrawals. An example of these added FEES, comes in my Vonage phone bill... A bill that is advertised as $9.99/mo., but which costs $16.97/mo. Some of the fees are listed a government connection and state fees, but there is a mysterious fee of $2.37/mo... that even the customer service people can't explain.
.........................................................................................................
My reason for posting, is that while I caught this, and can see what's happened, I wonder how many people who either pay directly (no insurance) or seniors, like myself, who hate to be confrontational and aggravated... and just pay up...
My wife and I have accepted an expense of about $500/yr, for bills that we pay, even though we know they're wrong.
A matter of keeping the blood pressure down. Not getting any easier.
