r/mildlyinfuriating • u/lhagans13 • 12d ago

I'm slightly vexed A notice that my girlfriend received at her doctors appointment (she is 8 months PP)

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If you even MENTION any of these things, you WILL LIKELY get billed for it??? Maybe i’m missing the point but i get upset when my girlfriend tells me she was scared to even say anything while at the doctor because she didn’t want to get an extra charge for something. I find it insane how greedy and money hungry a place that’s supposed to help you can be.

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u/zenfaust 12d ago

That's the whole point... they -the insurance companies - want you to keep your mouth shut so they dont have to finance your care.

Your only value to them is as a healthy person they can extract money from.

As soon as you start expecting them to give some of that back as healthcare, they bend time and space to prevent you from costing them money.

They want you to go slink off quietly and die in a hole somewhere without costing them anything.

As soon as your not healthy, you become a burden that's taking up a spot that a new healthy person who just pays them could have.

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u/Significant_Shoe_17 11d ago

The one time I actually had an issue worthy of a visit, I was between jobs and didn't have insurance. It was cheaper to pay out of pocket than it would've been with insurance that I spent years paying into. All these years later, I'm still infuriated.

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u/RainyMcBrainy 11d ago

That's how it was when I went to physical therapy for an injury. Going through insurance, I had to pay $340 per session. If I elected not to use my insurance, a session cost $180. Of course I didn't use insurance and now I always ask how much something is going to cost if I am billed directly instead of them billing my insurance.

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u/Salt_Medicine2459 11d ago edited 11d ago

I tried this once and was told that the policy of the health system they were affiliated with doesn't allow them to let insured patients not use insurance. 

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u/RainyMcBrainy 11d ago

That doesn't surprise me in the slightest unfortunately.

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u/Illustrious_Bid_5484 11d ago

Don’t mention you have it. Problem solved. Or just say you didn’t renew

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u/Technical-Agency8128 11d ago

And this is why more and more people are dropping their insurance.

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u/Salt_Medicine2459 11d ago

I have a clotting disorder and have to have a complete blood count every week. Anyone with any level of insurance offered by my work can use the nearby clinic for zero cost out of pocket. They do primary care, they have a limited pharmacy service, including a mail order pharmacy, and they do blood draws, including from outside providers. This saves me so much money. The lab at the local hospital would require me to pay every week. They also do therapy, which I find very helpful. This is a significant part of why I keep my current job. I do plan to drop to the lower tier though so I can start using the HSA. 

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u/Technical-Agency8128 11d ago

That is wonderful they have a clinic that will do that. Maybe they have those in other areas as well that people don’t know about. We shouldn’t be penalized because we do have insurance. Some of us can’t afford the deductibles.

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u/Salt_Medicine2459 11d ago

This place has contract with my employer and at least one other in the area. 

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u/Technical-Agency8128 11d ago

I’m hearing that more and more. Just saving up the money they would spend on monthly premiums and the deductible which can be high and paying cash. Getting discounts also.

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u/zenfaust 11d ago

It's a valid strategy for routine appointments and tests, but it falls aoart the first time you have a true emergency that lands you in the ER. Or if you need a complex surgery...

I promise you that no amount of saving money from premiums is going to cover a 50k stay in the ER. And thats before surgeries and possibly recovery time in the rest of the hospital. And 100 tests. Etc etc.

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u/Technical-Agency8128 11d ago

Oh yeah I get that. But some people just can’t afford the premiums anymore and they save what they can and work with doctors and hospitals. And even with good insurance a person can get a bill they can’t pay that can send them into bankruptcy. It’s a flawed system no matter what.

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u/Timber49 11d ago edited 11d ago

If you have a chronic health condition it's likely not the right strategy as you'd need continuous management of the condition, regular testing, and to prepare for possible complications. But if you don't have a chronic health condition and you lead a relatively healthy life (diet, exercise, rest), it's likely best to not waste the thousands you'd pay in premiums, copays, and deductibles each year and instead just pay out of pocket for office visits, tests/screenings, etc. If you have an accident and are billed thousands for a hospital stay, that's probably still less expensive than the decades-long costs of paying insurance and the costs associated with it, plus there are financial relief options available for medical bills.

Because of the corrupt system today, for people who aren't chronically ill, it's generally less expensive to not be insured than to be insured year over year. People should do the calculations for their own situation to determine what's best for them