Consumers Screwed with Insurance Loopholes

Insurance Loopholes & Master Pricing:
How Surprise Medical Bills Knock Consumers Down

Most of us know which local hospitals and doctors are covered by our insurance providers, but even when we make sure that we only see an in-network physician or surgeon, nearly one-third of privately insured Americans are still hit with higher-than-expected medical bills, often because their in-network hospital brought in or contracted out to an out-of-network service provider. How did we get to the point where so many consumers have so little information about what to expect when their hospital bill arrives? (read full article)

Consumers Screwed with Insurance Loopholes

As explained in this excellent article, even though Obamacare intended to address rising prices by promoting prevention, price transparency, and competition among payers & providers – and there has been progress – the system remains hopelessly complex and in need of serious and more aggressive reform.

I’m more convinced than ever that we need to move toward a single-payer system like Medicare-for-All, modeled after other nations that pay half as much and have better outcomes. Meanwhile there may be a role for the new Consumer Protection Agency, because complexity always allows the greedy to find loopholes and screw consumers, while it makes it more difficult for consumers to protect themselves. But if we rely too much on that, the agency could grow immense.

Most consumers, I think, are willing to assume more personal responsibility and Want to seek the best value in care, but that’s difficult to impossible under America’s current and convoluted Sick Care system, which has perverse incentives to view patients as paying customers and treat their symptoms, thus keeping them coming back, paying.