They may (and should) even insist on cash discounts
By its nature, insurance restricts choice, rewarding some providers and penalizing others. Traditional insurance rewards traditional medicine and traditional pharmaceuticals. As health savings accounts become more common, consumers will have more choice. Depending on how HSA plans are written, HSAs may enable consumers to choose to spend healthcare dollars on alternative medicine treatments such as massage, acupuncture, and Pilates classes. They may enable reimbursement of supplements such as herbs, vitamins, and hormone therapies. They may even cover spas, health clubs, and weight loss programs. Psychotherapy, installment loan in Bath which is often only covered at 50% and then only with managed care authorization, would no longer be capped or micromanaged. Personal coaching might even be covered.
HSAs save money by greatly reducing (but not eliminating) the bureaucratieaucratic overhead. They give the consumer more choice. They will ultimately separate employment from healthcare, making it easier to change jobs. The primary downside is that employees often see HSAs as an attempt by management to cut costs by reducing benefits (as is sometimes the case). Paul Zane Pilzer says 90% of people can purchase healthcare insurance for half of what it cost employers and once purchased it cannot be cancelled or raised beyond normal cost increases. This can be a wonderful solution to many individuals, especially those who currently do not have healthcare insurance. At a macro level, however, it is a shell game as costs for the 10% with serious health problems are shifted to government funding.
There is an terrible inequity in the current system in that those who pay cash (relieving the healthcare practitioners of large, cumbersome billing expenses) end up paying more as they don’t get the discounts insurance companies demand
As you have probably gathered, my libertarian penchant likes HSAs while my ultimate preference would be insurance for catastrophic events and out of pocket payment for everything else. The question is: If you had an HSA instead of your current insurance, would you spend healthcare funds differently? If so, what has been your personal cost of not pursuing the healthcare choices that you consider optimal? What choices would you make if you had the money your employer currently spends on insurance and you had to pay for all of your medical expenses out of pocket?
Most Americans receive health insurance from their employers and lose their health insurance when they lose their jobs, but that’s about to change….Employer sponsored healthcare will be mostly eliminated in the next twenty years.
You went to the dentist and you wrote a check for the bill
Discussion on a blog: “Government today restricts our medical choices in countless ways, direct and indirect, which has led many to call for a Canadian style, single-payer system. Sorta homeopathic, isn’t it? A LARGER dose of the poison that’s killing us will actually be the cure.” Another reader astutely commented, “Actually that’s allopathy.” [Homeopathic medicine uses minute quantities of toxins to produce cures; allopathy is traditional medicine.]
A man awakened after emergency heart bypass surgery to find himself at a Catholic Hospital. A nun asked him how he was going to pay. He explained that he did not have any health insurance or savings. “Do you have any relatives who could help?” asked the nun. “I only have a spinster sister, who is a nun,” He replied. Angrily, the nun protested, “Nuns are not spinsters! Nuns are married to God.” The patient replied, “Then send the bill to my brother-in-law.”
Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey is keynote speaker and author of the Oprah-featured book, Defy Aging and 52 baby steps to Grow Young. The books and his Reverse Aging anti-aging hypnosis CDs comprise his anti-aging system.
The other big mistake people often make is not being clear about who they are and what they are looking for. It’s not magic, it’s a process of increasing the odds of success. I especially liked the idea that it isn’t necessarily the most glamorous photo, but often the most friendly and approachable one that gets the click.
I have a great diet. You’re allowed to eat anything you want, but you must eat it with naked fat people.
I remember when there was no dental insurance. Now many people have dental insurance and have to check whether the dentist is on the plan, what is covered, etc. The dentist in turn has to enroll in and track dozens of insurance plans. The result is a bureaucratic morass that adds to the cost of the system overall. Dental insurance is appealing to employees who receive the coverage as an employee benefit. To them it seems like a free benefit.