A glimpse into what government run healthcare will look like

The town I live in is running a program offering to vaccinate school aged children for the flu as well as H1N1. I’ve lived in this town over 17 years and am not sure why it is being done this year.

A letter came home from all the schools in September announcing this program, with the shots to be administered by a third party agency in the first week of October. The notice mentioned that this will just be the seasonal flu vaccine, and will not protect against H1N1. Shortly afterwards, we got another notice stating that due to a shortage, the schedule vaccinations will take place November 9 – 14.  Another notice came out stating that there will indeed be a H1N1 vaccine, but the seasonal flu vaccine will not be available. Furthermore, the H1N1 vaccine would not be a shot, but instead a nasal spray (much to the delight of my younger children. Finally, the first day of vaccinations and low and behold, the seasonal flu vaccine is available along with the H1N1, in both shot and nasal spray form.  Not only did they get the wrong information out to the families, but they had 3 chances to it correctly and still didn’t get it right. Do we want all of our healthcare run like this?

Due to the size of our town, the vaccines are to be administered based on your last name (A-F the first day, G-M the second etc.) Sound like rationing to anyone?

Additionally, the vaccines are to be administered between 2:00 and 7:00 at the high school. My daughter who attends the high school went to register for the vaccines immediately after school ended at 1:45. She got in line behind others, who were already in a line extending outside of the school. I know people who waited in excess of 2 hours for their children to be  vaccinated yesterday.

Furthermore, there is no fee to be paid at the time the vaccine is administered. It appears to be a free program, which many will indeed believe does not cost them anything. How much are taxes going to go up to run this program this year and into the future?

Our healthcare system is indeed in need of change, but I believe that the government should stay out of it.

Haggling with your Doctor

Forbes Magazine ran an article recently titled Cut your Doctor Bill. The article explains that with the rising cost of healthcare that people need to find out the costs associated with a medical procedure before they have it done. The problem is actually finding the cost beforehand.

If you are seen at a doctor or hospital and don’t know beforehand what the approximate cost will be, you are in for sticker shock once you receive your bill, especially if the medical provider is not part of your insurance network, or if you don’t have any insurance.

INSNET,LLC President Jack Gillis was interviewed for this story and shares some tips for those who feel confident enough to do their own negotiations. First he says you need to determine if the facility is authorized to give you a discount. If they are, your next question should be, who is authorized to give me a bigger discount? Not all medical providers are willing to reduce their fees, but with unpaid debt at record levels, many any re-thinking those policies.

If you would rather have a professional organization who has been negotiating medical bills with providers for over 20 years review and negotiate your medical bill, INSNET is available at www.myinsnet.com or by calling 877-MYINSNET (877-694-6763)

When not knowing can cost you money

Yesterday Insurance Negotiating Service, which negotiates out of network medical claims for insurance companies and TPA’s got a phone call from a gentleman wondering if we negotiate non healthcare claims. This seems like a strange question since INS has saved insurance companies millions of dollars since opening in 1985.

It turns out this gentleman was calling on behalf of a friend of his who had a fire at their home. The home is a duplex and the friend’s side of the home suffered major damage while the other side just had smoke damage. The gentleman, who found our site on Google, was calling to see if we could assist his friend deal with the insurance company adjuster as they had no idea what  to do.

The call was routed to me as I had experience as a property casualty insurance adjuster. I  informed the gentleman that this is not something that INS could help with, for among many reasons, the fire took place in a state I am not licensed in; but I was able to pass on some information. I informed the gentleman that their are Public Adjusters who do just what his friend needed, they represent the homeowner or insured deal with the insurance company adjuster, to ensure a fair settlement is made. I was able to assist the gentleman find 3 public adjusting companies in his area.

This got me thinking that if there are people out there who do not know that Public Adjusters can help them with property casualty claims, then there are people who do not know that patient advocates such as INSNET can help individuals save money on their medical bills. Just like the price of a new automobile, a hotel room or an airline ticket; medical bills are negotiable! Professionals like INSNET ensure that individuals pay a fair price on the medical bills.

US Open Golf and medical bills?

The second major tournament in golf in this week, the United States Open. I don’t play as much golf as I used to thanks to the responsiblities of parenthood, but I always look forward to this tournament and its last day which takes place on Father’s Day.

The responsibilities of providing for my children and how I go about it prompted the following comparison between golf and patient advocacy. The object in most weekend players game and the US Open is to break par on the course. Similarly, as a Patient Advocate, I try to help my customers break ‘par’ by reducing the amount they must pay compared to billed charges on their medical bills.

In the game of golf, one of the best ways to succeed is to have the proper tools, whether it be properly fitted clubs or a high distance golf ball. On a professional level, a caddy you can trust and a dedicated swing coach are essential. Patient Advocate’s help individual through the maze of health care statements from medical providers and insurance companies. INSNET has the experience through over 20 years of negotiating medical bills to know a fair price to pay on a medical bill.

The golf courses at most US Open sites have penalizing rough with high grass just outside of the fairways. Have you tried to contact a medical provider and speak to someone about reducing your medical bill?  If so, then you know it is possible to spend the better part of an hour doing so if you do not know the right department to ask for or the correct words to say to speak to the person who actually has authority to reduce your bill. At INSNET our service is not rough at all, as a matter of fact it is easy and painless; if we don’t save you money on your medical bill you pay us nothing!

I hope all father’s have an enjoyable day this Sunday, and reflect on how they provide for their families. I also hope every father gets a chance to step onto a golf course with if not your own father, then your children.