Medical Cost

[MarkF48]

Anyone here get hit with a 'facilities fee' yet?

 

[Torvy]

Those fees were always there, just not itemized.

 

[Jstpssng]

Anyone ever consider MDVIP? Most of their doctors are full and have a waiting list, but it's intriguing. The doctors are more independent and more traditional. You pay a yearly fee for them, but they limit the number of patients so you can actually get in to see them when needed. I've found my primary care doctor to be useless. She just does physicals and referrals.

Not available near me, otherwise that is the route I'd go.

 

[ericm979]

Anyone ever consider MDVIP?

I did that for a while when the GP I was with went with them. At one point they greatly raised the price, which I already thought was high, and I decided it was not worth it.

The advantage was that I could get plenty of time with the Dr to go over my issues. More than the usual rushed 15 minutes. I could get an appointment on short notice.

It might be worth it if the Dr is stellar and you need something more than the run of the mill. And you can afford it.

 

[jyoutz]

Probably die or suffer, not many options unfortunately.
Our medical care in Canada is free....only problem is waiting years to get anything done regardless of the ailment, and by free I mean taxed to no end to pay for it. There are advantages and disadvantages to both systems.....I think.

I have been curious to see an analysis that compares the costs under both systems: Canadian taxes versus US insurance premiums, high billing rates, and co-pays. I wonder which costs more to the patient?

 

[ponytug]

I have been curious to see an analysis that compares the costs under both systems: Canadian taxes versus US insurance premiums, high billing rates, and co-pays. I wonder which costs more to the patient?

I've seen a bunch of $/person/year analyses over the years, and the US comes out as expensive.

I think that it would be interesting to see an accurate cost/benefit analysis that would include the costs of care not provided, or deferred due to cost or wait times. I don't know the answer, but when I look at the UK NHS, and the number folks outright dying before receiving care, I do wonder what the analysis would turn up.

All the best,

Peter

 

[ultrarunner]

Still surprises me to have Canadian patients travel to California for cash pay medical care.

When I ask it always comes down to the same two answers… the wait in queue too long and/or the custom lens implant desired is not available in Canada.

No doubt Canada does well when it comes to bread and butter care for the masses… just like the case in Europe…

I know Austrians that travel and cash pay in Sherman for dental care and Germans that cross the border to Austria for dental care… respective dentist are permitted to offer non citizens options they are forbidden under socialized medicine.

 

[jyoutz]

Problem here is a lot of times the ER's are closed due to lack of Dr's. You may go to an ER having a heart attack with no one there and end up waiting for an ambulance to take you to another one..... that is as long as there's an available ambulance.
Our health care system here in NS is severly f....ahhh screwed up.
Another case in point. I called my Dr last Friday the 18th of July to get my pills renewed, can't get an appointment 'till Aug-14.

One month for an appointment is pretty standard for most areas in the U.S. also.

 

[jyoutz]

Most of the high cost of medical in the US is directly due our tort system. Most countries limit how attorneys get paid and how much people can get from lawsuits.

We all pay extra so everyone in the chain, can pay extra for liability insurance and run extra tests to CYA from lawsuits.

Until that gets fixed, it will never be affordable.

Nailed it. And other reasons are the high cost of medical school and the need for high salaries to repay the loans. Also the fact that many medical providers are publicly traded and need to maximize shareholder value.

 

[jyoutz]

In my personal opinion, the fact that medicare will pay X for each specific billing code box checked might be viewed as a minimum price floor. With insurance companies negotiating discounts, also hard to compare prices for services, especially when any major medical event will involve multiple providers. Who would know how to even ask what services are going to be rendered and who is going to provide them to make a pricing comparison before hand. Then add in the notion that most think their insurance will take care of it.

I ran into this once. I needed orthopedic surgery and was careful to choose a surgeon and hospital that was a provider on my insurance plan. Sure enough, when I got the bill, the anesthesiologist (who I never chose or met) wouldn’t accept my insurance and his bill exceeded the surgeon and hospital combined.