I called an imaging center and asked for a cash price for an MRI on my knee. It was $300. Going through my doctor for a referral and using insurance, the price would’ve been over $3000 and I was going to be out $1000 in copay and fees.
I usually ask for cash price on everything before I use insurance, half the time it’s cheaper and the other half the time it’s barely more for basic stuff like this. Also call around and shop pricing, you will find places that do things way cheaper than others.
I have a job that is supposed to provide basically the best insurance benefits available for people who don’t make high six figures. They just announced they’re going to increase our deductible by 3x and institute 15% coinsurance next year. We are angry and screwed but what can we do other than let them know about it? We’re not going to be able to find better health insurance at any other job
We’re just all going to pay more money in order to not be able to afford to go to the doctor anymore
Oh yah that’s right they are also raising premiums on top of all that
It can fuck you that way too. Then ur bound to ur company's plans, they can be just as stupid. "Now I have to only go to a kiser permenentie in network hospital. Sure ill remember that while im unconsious in a medevac chopper."
Both times they had cleanings they were initially denied because of some lame insurance excuse.
After my wife got off the phone the 2nd time I said to her: that person's job has no other benefit but to cost us all money. They shouldn't even exist.
Insurance is such a total fucking waste on our economy.
💯 although the intention is good, it’s all double talk to make money. Same as hospital systems claiming to be “patient first”. I guarantee you they are money first, liability free second, and patient somewhere third or later.
Easy, start of the new year go to the hospital with a sudden “headache” and tell them your vision is blurry. You’ll hit your deductible immediately then negotiate it down with the hospital
I think the point is not hitting the out of pocket limit because money was spent outside of the deductible. Every few years we hit the limit, and then everyone goes to every specialist and get all the fancy tests done. This is truly the dumbest system on the planet.
Well, for me, my deductible is $10,000 with my insurance plan. Let’s say my family goes to the doctor a few times and pays 3000 dollars out-of-pocket without using our health insurance plan. Because we didn’t use the insurance plan it doesn’t count towards the deductible. Let’s say next month I have to have my appendix removed. And that costs $9000. Now I have to pay that $9000 out-of-pocket before my insurance will pay, whereas if I had used my insurance, I might only have to pay $7000 because I already spent $3000 on other things using the insurance. Now, of course it’s a little more complicated than that because it matters what a particular insurance plan covers and what it doesn’t.
Most health insurance plans in the US have a deductible which is the amount that you have to pay out-of-pocket before the insurance company will pay for a lot of procedures, labs, imaging, procedures , or doctors visits. If you just pay cash for these things without using your insurance policy the amount you pay does not count towards your insurance deductible.
The deductible is separate from the co-pay that you might pay for these things also.
It's cheaper if you don't need much done, but if you later have a major event that is expensive enough that you need to use the insurance and your deductible, then the amount you spent outside of insurance doesn't count towards that deductible.
900
u/slashnbash1009 Aug 22 '26
I had one a few weeks ago to determine the severity of a brain bleed I had after a stroke and it costs me 4300 dollars with insurance.