This was not intended to be a debate about health insurance but it is weird when you see the doctor's bill for a regular visit and the charge is like $330, insurance paid a negotiated rate of $120 and your co-pay was $25. I understand about negotiated rates but what kind of weird arse business model is that based on? And for a drug that's not covered they call it non-formulary. What the hell kind of word is that? Very little sense to be made of the health insurance industry.
remember my infected toe from a few years back? i think i'd posted pictures of it, along with the chunk of nail that'd grown in and caused the infection.
anyway......i went to the doc for that, in all obviousness. as he was looking at it, he asked if i had insurance. i told him no i didn't. he said that was better then, as now he could look at it right then/there in his office. had i had insurance, i'd have to have gotten a reference from my family doc, and then seen him at his office at the hospital. he told me it'd be costing me less, since i was paying cash. he also took just as good care of me as i could expect.
on a side note......the dude was WAY cool, with one hell of a sense of humor. he took care of the venous ulcer i had on my ankle too. it too was less expensive, and much easier since i was paying him directly.
