By Molly Mulebriar
When a hospital refuses to accept a patient because their health insurance plan limits allowed charges to 120% of Medicare reimbursement rates, and instead offers to discount their charges by 15%, one wonders how much more will the patient be asked to pay.
Of note is the hospital routinely accepts 100% of Medicare from Medicare patients.
Since hospitals never disclose their charge master rates, agreeing to pay in advance for medical services on the basis of a 15% discount off an unknown number makes no sense at all. We don’t agree to purchase any other goods or services on that basis so why would we do so for health care?
Fortunately in Texas, there is a law that requires hospitals to provide a cost estimate in advance of services rendered, unless the charges are for immediate emergency care.
According to the Texas Insurance Department website “Texas law gives patients the right to request estimates of charges. Doctors and other providers and health plans have 10 days to give you the estimates.”
Continue reading No, We Won’t Treat You Unless You Pay More!