Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Obamacare Leaves Doctors On The Hook For Deadbeats

The Affordable Care Act doles out three months of free health care to individuals who choose to default on their premiums; providers and insurers pick up the tab.

Tucked inside nearly 11,000 pages of the Affordable Care Act is a little-known provision that doles out three months of free health care to individuals who choose to default on their premiums.
People who receive the federal subsidy to be part of Obamacare will be allowed to incur a three-month “grace period” if they can’t pay their premiums and then simply cancel their policies, stiffing the doctors and hospitals.

Their only repercussion is that they have to wait until the following year’s open enrollment if they want coverage on the exchange.

“It will help break the system,” said Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, one of a core group of Republicans who oppose Obamacare. “This is a huge piece of evidence to show this can’t work, you will break the system and bankrupt people involved.

More

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is hard enough to get an appointment when you DO have good insurance in this area. Doctors are cost cutting patients out of good care left and right. One doctors office is total robo call system and no one EVER answers a phone. TOTAL NIGHTMARE!

Anonymous said...

That is why in my office patients will have to pay first and then receive insurance payment themselves. I absolutely will not take a chance on having denials because patients do not pay their premiums.

Probably will go total cash very soon and forget insurance companies totally

This is the way it is in Britain.. NHS for most, private care for who can pay for it. Guess which one gets the better care?

Medical Office Administrator said...

5:30, if you are contracted and accept insurance such as Carefirst, Aetna, or UHC, it is against your contract to make the patient pay up front, other than their designated copay. Even deductibles are not collectible until the claim has been processed thru their carrier.
Medicare is very strict about this provision. In order to do as you wish, you would have to forego insurances and be considered out of network. Anyone with insurance would most likely not see you since it would cost more.
They have you by the nads.

I hope you have a specialty and are considered a stellar doctor, otherwise you may have a very small practice/income if you go out of network/cash.

Anonymous said...

Deadbeats go to the ER now for the sniffles and have no intentions of ever paying.

Anonymous said...

It would seem to me that not having to hire one or two $50k/ year employees to process insurance claims would be a real money saver for the patients! And, for a patient to only have to pay for the medical treatment and not having to support the insurance company administrators AND now the new set of Obamacare administrators, a cash only practice would be an incredible savings to the patients and the doctor!

Anonymous said...

well--you think you know how to run a practice. Most doctors are fed up big time with people like you that think they can ram their ideas down our throats... they can't

how about this one... with the new insurances on the exchanges there are huge I'll say it again Massive deductibles... people have to pay them FIRST before co-pays are accepted

So when you go to the hospital for non-emergent care or a office they are going to collect the deductible first.. in many cases for hospital surgery and care they will want the FULL deductible--the exchanges have had $3,000-$8,000 individual deductibles that have to be met prior to benefits being given

The hospitals and offices will collect it in full or no care---for non-emergent surgeries or other care.

Yup... looks like this entire industry is going cash even without doctors going cash

No one has anyone by the "nads"

Medical Office Administrator said...

6:58
It is against policy provisions to collect deductibles up front. Apparently you did not fully read my post.
I am not ramming anything down your throat, I am simply stating the stipulations of the contracts.
The claim needs to be facilitated thru the carrier for them to determine what the patient owes to you. You can not simply charge them what you feel they owe based on your calculations.

5:54
I am not sure where you got your figures from, but billers make no where near 50K a year. If that's what you are paying, then I want to work for you!

Anonymous said...

U obviously do not know anything about medical billing... Its absolutely completely totally normal business practice to collect deductibles in full including medicare....

Anonymous said...

8:47
It is not a simple as you state, and I have successfully been doing my job profitably for years.

Just because it is "normal business practice" doesn't mean you are not breaking the provisions of your contract.

Let me know how that "cash", "out of network" business model works out for you.