Freedom of Choice…Insurance

30 Aug 2011 1 Comment

by tglips in Life

With all the push back on Obama’s health reform about loosing choice if healthcare becomes more of a public industry versus remaining a private industry I would like to add my experience from the provider end that has enlightened my perspective. How things are in the current system does not give you the choice you think you have. There is this thing called paneling or in-network…i.e. your INSURANCE company chooses for you who you can see at the most affordable price and sure you can usually see a health care provider that’s not in-network but you likely will be paying much more…higher deductible, larger co-pays and often co-insurance, too. So is that really a choice for most people…no, we end up going to the providers that the insurance companies say you can go see. Then let’s say you can afford and do choose an out-of-network provider because they came highly recommended and they line up with your values and needs…the insurance company often delays payment or makes them jump through more hoops. Do we really want to endorse inequality anywhere. It seems to me we should be able to go to any provider that is properly licensed and legally practicing. We have licensing boards to “Police” providers to make sure they are compliant with ethics and laws why would we need insurance companies to do the same? The process of getting paid by insurance companies can be so daunting that I have had to hire someone to do my billing…added cost. I work really hard to not pass on too much to the consumer plus I offer generous cash discounts but at the end of the day I also need to pay my bills. There is a segment of healthcare providers that make a generous income but let me tell you the majority of us are right there with the rest of the middle class. Don’t get me wrong I am not complaining about my income…I am doing just fine BUT I do get frustrated when I have to turn people away because I cannot drop my fee low enough to provide services because their insurance company won’t contract with me…feels like to me the insurance companies are restricting people’s choice. If you think they may just be looking out for your best interest by screening the providers don’t fool yourself…it’s all about economics! They restrict supply they control access…less appointments available less cost for them. In most cases, a person would see a counselor weekly if there are too few providers then the providers cannot see you or will need to see you less frequently thus impacting best practice and your care!

I am not saying Obama’s plan is the solution…it maybe a start but hopefully not the final product. I just wanted to provide some perspective on the term “choice” when it comes to health care. I would hope that in the end we all would really have true choice and with our healthcare provider be able to make the best decision for our care without the government OR the insurance companies placing limitations on us.

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