Tag: medical costs

That medical miracle can cost you, but there may be more sensible solutions.

That medical miracle will cost you, but there may be more sensible solutions. Imagine having a problem none of your doctors could solve, except there is a drug you could take that would help you feel better while bankrupting you. Crazy as it sounds, there are a number of drug companies that have developed and approved medications that may cost over 100,00 per year.  For most of us, it could quickly wipe out our savings.   Worse, many of these medications may not even cure the problem but may just relieve it, while causing other problems such as a compromised immune Read More »

Medical billing practices and high deductibles are why our medical costs are rising yearly; here’s why.

Medical billing practices and high deductibles are why our medical costs are rising yearly; here’s why. It’s amazing that even during the pandemic when the federal government was paying for covid related hospital bills and testing and few people were visiting their doctors or the hospitals, yet insurance carriers continued to charge us more in insurance premiums while increasing our copayments and deductibles. As a front-line healthcare practitioner, the increase is not showing up in our insurance reimbursements, and in general, the reimbursements have gone down while the costs of running a practice continue to rise for many years now.  Read More »

The ban on surprise medical billing is effective this year; what it means for you.

The ban on surprise medical billing is effective this year; what it means for you. It’s a jungle out there when you are in pain or have a health problem.   It’s no secret that we are all paying more for medical care and that the segmentation of care by the hospitals and the practices they purchased is a huge cost driver. There was a time before high deductibles when we all had reasonable copayments for the care we received. Most of us also had out-of-network benefits as well and could go to any provider we wanted while having insurance coverage. Read More »

My health insurance just increased 25% in NJ; something is very wrong here.

My health insurance just increased 25% in NJ; something is very wrong here. Obamacare or nobomacare, it makes no difference to me or the patients we care for as long as it serves our needs at a reasonable cost. Something has gone off the rails in Washington, as the partisans politicians fight to defeat Obamacare.  These sets of rules and regulations, already present in New Jersey before Obamacare were designed to make it easier for individuals to buy healthcare coverage. Obamacare markedly increased buyers of insurance by expanding Medicaid through exchanges and by giving subsidies to those under a certain income bracket so Read More »

Inside the Cuban healthcare system; A system based on prevention and health, that is good for providers and the patients they serve.

Inside the Cuban healthcare system; A system based on prevention and health, that is good for providers and the patients they serve. Obamacare, Trump care or any other American system of healthcare has shown itself to be expensive, and one illness can bankrupt you and leave you deep in debt.  Access to care is limited by deductibles that can be quite high and it is likely your doctor who has been in practice for years is still paying off their educational debt. Those who are below a certain level income wise can be on Medicaid, which many doctors refuse to Read More »