Tag: healthcare costs

Restricted access to chiropractic care in older adults raises medical costs by millions.

Posted on by bill
Restricted access to chiropractic care in older adults raises medical costs by millions. Growing chiropractic use for many spinal conditions is more effective and safer than visiting a medical primary care physician first. Chiropractic has much higher levels of patient satisfaction according to Consumer Reports, Men’s Health magazine, and many other publications. The opioid crisis was caused by medical providers treating painful conditions medicinally instead of with chiropractic care or physical therapy. As those patients did not respond, they were then referred to higher-level tests and procedures of questionable benefit, often at a much higher cost. Yesterday, a patient with Read More »

Negotiated hospital rates can be much higher than you think for different procedures says the NY Times.

Posted on by bill
Negotiated hospital rates can be much higher than you think for different procedures says the NY Times. If you have ever wondered why your insurance costs continue to skyrocket, the answer may lie in the negotiated fees your insurance company has with y9ur local hospital. Years ago, I found out that an MRI for the lower back under my Blue Cross Blue Shield would cost me $800 under their negotiated rate.  Then I had a patient without insurance who went to a local MRI center and paid half that amount.  Crazy, No? In an investigative report, the NY Times recently Read More »

Healthcare costs and the new institutes the larger hospital systems are building, and your health.

Posted on by bill
Healthcare costs, new institutes the larger hospital systems are building, and your health. It’s no secret that in the USA we pay more than any other country for healthcare. Yet, when you talk to your local doctor, you may be surprised that they are being paid less by insurers as your insurance premiums continue to rise. Primary doctors help us avoid unnecessary medical interventions and handle many common health problems simply and cost-effectively. As hospitals buy more physician practices and the seemingly efficient 10-minute office visit becomes the norm, health care costs are exploding upward while the quality of care Read More »

Administrative costs Appaloosa; Time Magazine uncovers why we spend so much more than Canada for healthcare administrative costs.

Posted on by bill
Administrative costs Appaloosa; Time Magazine uncovers why we spend so much more than Canada for healthcare administrative costs. Depending on what you read and what you watch, you may get different people telling you why people in the U.S spend so much on healthcare. We pay more than any other country for healthcare services.  Time Magazine recently evaluated reported that the U.S. spends about 500% more on healthcare administrative costs compared to Canada.  The question is why? According to Time, 34% of healthcare costs are due to administration which is twice what Canada spends.  This is according to a recent Read More »

Would making hospitals reveal their prices lower healthcare costs?

Posted on by bill
Would making hospitals reveal their prices lower healthcare costs? Numerous sources have shown that hospital prices are the largest driver of medical inflation.  If you ever have visited an emergency room without insurance, the fees are absurd and the methods used to justify the prices and the bills border on fraud as discussed in a recent article in the NY Times. In the article, it mentions that although her insurance was billed, they paid the negotiated amounts for the various facility fees, trauma fees and attending doctor charges that were absurd. Imagine not having an insurance company available to discount Read More »