| Unfortunately, paying for health care
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| | health insurance policy, whether it is
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| these days - whether it's hospital care,
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| | group, government provided, or private
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| group or private health insurance, or
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| | health insurance. Call your doctor and
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| durable medical supplies - is a lot like
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| | ask what kinds of surgery-related
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| buying a car: You gotta haggle. If you
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| | expenses a patient is generally expected
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| can research and take care of your
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| | to cover. These may include radiology
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| out-of-pocket expenses prior to surgery,
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| | (x-rays), consultation with
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| it's possible and wise to negotiate with
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| | out-of-network specialists (whose fees
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| the hospital and providers for a lower
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| | are also negotiable), pathology, and even
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| out-of-pocket rate.
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| | blood transfusions. Then, starting with
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| For example, say you know you have
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| | the finance department, call the hospital
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| elective surgery coming up, and you've
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| | and ask them which service providers
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| discussed it with your doctor and agreed
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| | operate outside of your network, and get
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| on a date. His office already has the
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| | ready for the talks to begin.
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| paperwork process underway with the
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| | Explain what your insurance provider will
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| insurance company, and you read through
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| | cover and what you can afford to pay for
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| your policy and find that it does not
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| | the rest. Many hospitals today have made
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| cover out-of-network anesthesia. What do
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| | their pricing policies transparent and
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| you do? You might call the hospital and
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| | therefore have prices posted to the
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| ask how many in-network anesthesiologists
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| | hospital Web site or readily available
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| they generally have on hand at the time
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| | for consumer perusal. Keep in mind that
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| when you've scheduled your surgery. If
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| | the hospitals offering such practices
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| you know there's a good chance the person
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| | also only guarantee the prices from the
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| who is going to provide that service is
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| | date of printing (or publishing); all the
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| not going to be covered by your policy,
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| | same, armed with this information you can
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| this is where the negotiations start.
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| | at least get a rough idea of the price
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| Today, we have to negotiate these kinds
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| | range you're dealing with.
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| of things, as difficult as that seems in
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| | According to one lawyer at the Texas
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| light of any health issue. We also have a
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| | State Department of Insurance, pricing is
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| growing rate of tiered billing practices,
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| | not the only thing you can tweak. "You
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| so we can be charged anything from what a
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| | can also talk to your own doctor and see
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| provider like Medicaid or Medicare might
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| | whether he can find other providers at
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| have to pay, to the price level of an
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| | the hospital who wouldn't be
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| uninsured patient, which might be
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| | out-of-network. If you have one surgery
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| substantially higher, but since the
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| | date, but that scheduled time doesn't
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| charges aren't necessarily standardized,
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| | coincide with the physical presence of
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| there's a lot of room for discussion.
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| | in-network providers, but another time
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| Many hospitals charge uninsured
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| | does, well, you'd choose a different
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| individuals a lot more for services so
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| | time, wouldn't you?" He also said to be
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| they can make up for costs lost elsewhere
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| | on the lookout for words like
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| in their operations. The point is, from
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| | "allowable," "usual," and "customary" in
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| one end of that spectrum to the other,
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| | your policy, because those usually signal
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| there's a lot of negotiation room.
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| | "points of flexibility," and we could all
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| Knowledge is power, especially in this
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| | use a little flexibility with insurance
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| scenario.
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| | companies and hospitals.
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| Start with reading and digesting your
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