People weigh in with their billing experiences
December 04, 2022
Kaiser Health News (KHN) published some letters to the editor, which captured some readers' reactions to various stories that KHN had previously published. One story discussed how a patient (who happened to be a doctor) was charged several thousand dollars for a procedure that was never performed.
An interesting reaction to that particular story was from a retired orthopedic surgeon who was not surprised that such "upcoding" happens. Another reader had a similar experience and had the case dismissed, although the reader's insurance company seemed uninterested in fighting the fictitious charge. The reader accused insurance companies of being complicit in supporting incorrect billing because insurance companies benefit from higher medical costs (since their profits are limited as a percentage of their premiums). If the accusation is generally true, patients seem to be in a very difficult position when over-billed.
Other reactions for other stories were interesting as well. If these letters are representative of the general feedback, it seems that there is substantial dissatisfaction with the current medical billing landscape.