From: "@frank.net   
      
   On 10/25/2025 3:05 PM, Jim Joyce wrote:   
   > On Sat, 25 Oct 2025 07:35:19 -0400, Frank <"frank "@frank.net> wrote:   
   >   
   >   
   >> Went to the ER a couple of years ago and had to wait over 6 hours to be   
   >> seen although they did draw blood after an hour wait. By the time I was   
   >> seen my problem resolved itself. Place was jammed with what looked like   
   >> half Hispanics.  All got service paying or not.   
   >   
   > As required by law. If you can somehow get through the door, you can be   
   > treated. I don't think we'd want it any other way, right?   
   >   
   > That's not the scam, though. The real scam is medical billing. In   
   > 2024-2025 I've had medical charges of $7600, $4800, $4200, and a bunch   
   > of smaller ones because when you go in for a procedure every Tom, Dick,   
   > and Harry who pokes his or her head into the room feels entitled to   
   > submit a separate bill.   
   >   
   > My medical insurance, Humana Medicare Advantage, negotiated those three   
   > biggest amounts down to $426, $178, and $151, then in each case they   
   > paid all but $35 of each of them. Next, the bills got sent to Tricare   
   > where the $35 balances were paid.   
   >   
   > Good for me, since it's always zero out of pocket, (medications are   
   > always 100% covered without question), but what about the bag-o-donuts   
   > who has no medical coverage, or the folks who have poor coverage. Those   
   > folks can get slammed with monster medical bills.   
   >   
   >> If problem is not severe best places to go are hospital satellite ER's   
   >> where wait is short but you have to pay.   
   >   
   > Around here, those places are called Urgent Care Clinics, sort of a   
   > middle ground between the doctor's office and the ER. As above, if I go   
   > to a UCC I don't pay anything, but plenty of other folks aren't as   
   > fortunate. It seems like the country could do better in that regard but   
   > we don't have wide agreement on that.   
   >   
      
   I agree.  It is a mess.  I have conventional medicare with a Humana   
   supplemental and a CVS drug plan, the latter two paid mostly for by   
   former employer.  Also pay for a dental plan through my dentist.   
      
   Our state's largest medical provider no longer accepts Humana Medicare   
   Advantage probably because purse strings are so tight.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)