I think I understand what is happening with insurance billling practices. It's been changing over…read morethe years, but i finally think i have a handle on how it's working out.
First of all: the group that has the most influence over insurance billing is Doctors. While Luigi Manjeone awaits trial and we ponder what that will be all about, the truth is that doctors (AMA, sincerely), more than any other group related to health insurance, have the most political clout. With such great influence per capita, their voices and decisions for the whole system could actually make the positive movement for true universal health care.
I supposedly have some kind of universal health care. And the accident I had with my hand was doing a function for the State of Massachusetts, literally. Aren't most, if not all, of these types of injury covered in full? Isn't that the point of having a working government, so that everything works out ok for everyone? "For the people, by the people..."
Doctors, we still need your help! You know your smart and authoriatrian. You likely noticed my misspelling. Becasue you have a brain for study, details, and quality.
Here's the catch: i've had at least five separate bills for this claim. I shouldn't have any! My heart rate/stress, the emotional and mental health toll of seeing all the different medical bills start to pile up... it was a severely dislocated pinky finger, but really maybe only slightly dislocated? The initial bills for one ER visit (that lasted into the overnight, so they charge more for off-hours) to repair one busted pinky finger: about $50,000. And guess what if I had been scared and intimidated into thinking I'm doing the right thing to pay (the collection of bills...)? I ignored them, willfully, daring anyone to come after me in my heart. In my soul of integrity that is willing to fight for what is right, no matter what. Sounds like a kind of fundamentalism, yeah? Very scary, dangerous stuff. That's what the trial will bring out, again. Until then...
Guess what happened next? The bills started going down. Suddenly, they started to show different insurance claims being paid. It was fascinating to watch how all the different $$ charges (what little was itemized) changed.
Including your billing, NEHA. I don't know where you finally get to this most recent final figure (and quite frankly , it's not interesting to me because it would probably enrage me (see, this stuff naturally makes people *angry*)) to learn even more details... there is some kind of failure in the social contract being played out.
Please consider this essay / yelp review as your final payment. I have done a very good job writing exactly how I feel about your bill, putting in truly valuable effort for our society, and doing my part to play along well and fit in. However, I haven't yet gotten to the real reason why you are going to forgive this final bill (yeah, you'll figure out who I am, no doubt) About fitting in...
When I went to your business for the first time ever with my busted hand, the receptionist did not like the way my paperwork was processed and tore it up because i didn't do a good enough job to make it legible? With a busted hand?? Or, didn't fill out the answers in a way she wanted, she started arguing with me about my answers! A kid, in their 20's, this receptionst told me, when i asked, that she had no idea what an autistic person was. She admitted no training in the basics of dealing with neurodivergent patients. If she were neurodivergent herself, I think I would have received more compassion. I was stunned, floored, and ready to leave when I mentioned my concerns about how the ADA was being honored at this facility with some patients out in the hall. The doctor overheard and insisted that I come back in. (:)) They haven't followed through with me since, probably because there's no follow-up notice in the computer. There cetainly is still follow up in their billing system though, and the bills are now consistent with a balance of roughly 6% of the original total.
So, I do not expect to ever hear from anyone at this office again with any real kind of human-compassion communication (i certainly did not feel honored or valued/respected at all by the receptionist) why don't we respectfully withdraw from all this fighting over $. Are we even fighting? if i simply said, now, "go giffy" (gfy), is that enough, ok, or bad?
P.S. I almost forgot to mention: in the end, now-- the only two bills from this incident (of the original over-$50,000) are both from doctors! It's ironic with all your influence to have your best share of the billing coming up short. I know doctors can do more to improve the system, but perhaps they are not being incentivized to try. This could be my call to action! Perhaps ego will prevail after all! Maybe a really good fight here is all we need to change the system, permanently.
P.P.S. The best lawyers (after a lifetime career of law) say: don't fight.