While there are many reasons, here’s an anecdote that illustrates one that hits home.
On November 21st, 2016, I had a mole removed at a dermatologist’s office. It is now May 1st, 2017, and we are still trying to resolve payment issues. The insurance company has made payments five times. Each time, my co-pay was wrong and I challenged it. My insurance company has adjusted the amount five times since I have been working with the billing department of the doctor’s office. The insurance company keeps making “mistakes’ that result in me paying more than the correct amount. The strange coincidence is that each time they make a “mistake” it is in their favor. I am now well past the “90 days past due” with the doctor’s office. The clerk at the doctor’s office is as frustrated as me, and tells me my experience is not unique.
How much time am I spending on this? How much time is the doctor’s clerk spending on this? How much time is the claims department at the insurance company spending on this. The statement I have from the doctor’s office lists 17 transactions with the insurance company, all for a mole that took about five minutes to remove.
Single payer. NOW.
