It’s all about money. Some want more, some take less. Or is it?
Common sense says a plan that pays providers more has more providers. A plan that pays less has less providers.
Except Medicare. Almost everyone takes Medicare even though providers are paid less. Medicare is a plan that pays less but has more providers than most.
So, if most accept Medicare, why don’t most take some plans that pay more than what Medicare pays? Reference Based Pricing plans pay more than Medicare, yet many say “Sorry, we don’t take that insurance.”
The answer may lie in the three ring binder that sits at every checkout counter. If your plan isn’t listed you will hear the nice clerk say “Sorry, we don’t take that insurance.”
Turning patients away whose plans pay more doesn’t make good business sense yet it’s systemic in healthcare financing in this country.
Cash pay health plans on the other hand experience widespread acceptance. Providers are generally willing to take less for cash.
Medicare pays less and so does cash pay plans yet both schemes are accepted by almost all providers.
So, it’s not all about the money is it? Its about a health care system purposely designed to make no sense, a system too big to fail no matter how bad it is.
