Protecting Patients from Surprise Medical Bills
Health Subcommittee, Protecting Patients from Surprise Medical Bills, May 21, 2019
Participants in Catastrophic Care with a Health Savings Account are never surprised by unexpected medical bills, since they signed up for it. If they do not realize that there will probably be a gap between the catastrophic deductible and the savings account, then it is on them. Adding a portable Medical Line of Credit would still create unexpected costs, but they would at least be funded at service – although this would limit the usefulness of the system in ending care when it is not needed. Most people will put access ahead of long-term savings. It is why the poor under-invest in tax favored savings accounts.
Beneficiaries of comprehensive health care are surprised when they see bills that will eventually be covered by their carrier, as well as those which are not covered that they must still pay.
The deepest cut comes for those of the working poor who have signed up for care under the Affordable Care Act in the lower cost plan. I am among those. A broken rib when I was covered by the ACA resulted in $900 in medical bills I was not expecting (and in truth, I should have simply waited for my Medicare to kick on, but honesty or stupidity had me sign up for the ACA when I could no longer meet the asset test).
My experience is duplicated for many others. The reality for most is that these bills are never paid, so the providers eat the cost anyway. Making patients “responsible” has not helped providers one bit. They still eat much of the cost of treating “covered” patients.
Patients under Medicaid have no surprise medical bills. Neither will anyone if Medicare for All is adopted. Indeed, Medicare for All is really Medicaid at the beneficiary level with payments for providers at the Medicare level (else, the Uniformed Public Health Service would have to employ all medical personnel.
Participants in Catastrophic Care with a Health Savings Account are never surprised by unexpected medical bills, since they signed up for it. If they do not realize that there will probably be a gap between the catastrophic deductible and the savings account, then it is on them. Adding a portable Medical Line of Credit would still create unexpected costs, but they would at least be funded at service – although this would limit the usefulness of the system in ending care when it is not needed. Most people will put access ahead of long-term savings. It is why the poor under-invest in tax favored savings accounts.
Beneficiaries of comprehensive health care are surprised when they see bills that will eventually be covered by their carrier, as well as those which are not covered that they must still pay.
The deepest cut comes for those of the working poor who have signed up for care under the Affordable Care Act in the lower cost plan. I am among those. A broken rib when I was covered by the ACA resulted in $900 in medical bills I was not expecting (and in truth, I should have simply waited for my Medicare to kick on, but honesty or stupidity had me sign up for the ACA when I could no longer meet the asset test).
My experience is duplicated for many others. The reality for most is that these bills are never paid, so the providers eat the cost anyway. Making patients “responsible” has not helped providers one bit. They still eat much of the cost of treating “covered” patients.
Patients under Medicaid have no surprise medical bills. Neither will anyone if Medicare for All is adopted. Indeed, Medicare for All is really Medicaid at the beneficiary level with payments for providers at the Medicare level (else, the Uniformed Public Health Service would have to employ all medical personnel.
posted by Michael Bindner at 2:00 PM
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