| Author | Message | ||
| Goldenbear Registered user Username: Goldenbear Post Number: 111 Registered: 12-2004 |
Forcing a Look at Hospitals' Mission Adventist Facilities Accused of Price-Gouging, Denying Care to Uninsured Patients This article will appear tomorrow in the Washington Post. We have talked about it before, but thought others may want to read. Probably one of the more cogent thoughts in the article was about the convoluted billing system. A lot of blame is being placed on the hospitals, and not much is sticking to the insurance groups. When a large HMO states that they will only pay X and the procedure costs X+100, what are medical institutions to do. The attacks on religious non-profits are just the beginning, but it is interesting to see the church begin to squirm under the scrutiny. I would truly enjoy seeing what would happen if the church did "step in" to deal with a problem in internal matters of the hospital. Fairness, I work in a hospital, though not adventist. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/21/AR2005082101010.html | ||
| Ric_b Registered user Username: Ric_b Post Number: 300 Registered: 7-2004  |
I think it is also fair to point out what the articles says about similar tactics being used with Tenet to attain better billing structures for the uninsured and the "plan to stage similar events in Denver this month to try to embarrass Catholic hospitals." These are not issues that are unique to SDA hospitals. There may be issues that the SDA church will need to face with how healthcare institutions have run the businesses, but I'm hesitant to jump on this bandwagon given the current information. | ||
| Melissa Registered user Username: Melissa Post Number: 1004 Registered: 7-2003  |
I have to admit this issue is why I pursued a masters in hospital administration. After all the tests, etc. for my daughter, I gained such sympathy for people who didn't have insurance and couldn't afford what I could because of my insurance and my job situation. What I found out during my masters is how screwed up our payer system really is. As the article states, those who have health insurance are charged the least prices. Those who have no insurance (and no one to negotiate a bulk price for them) are charged the supposedly full amount. The location of your hospital has a lot to do with the client base you see. In KC, the SDA hospital is in the middle of an affluent county, not a lot of poor and indigent care...though I'm sure they must claim some to get their 501c3 status. They are considered one of the more profitable hospitals in a town overrun with beds. If they truly wanted to do what their billboards say they do, they'd locate in the heart of the inner city where people have no care and no options for care because of the cost. When I was trying to decide where to have my baby, I called the two hospitals my doctor delivered at. The non-SDA hospital told me basic charges for room, normal delivery without complications, etc. The SDA hospital would only say it was impossible to know, so I really had no way to know which hospital was the best financial option. That was very frustrating, but that is not limited to the SDA hospital. There have been local stories recently talking about the lack of disclosure when someone is trying to "shop around" for health care. What I know is how blessed I feel to have health insurance. I've sacrificed more preferred jobs because their insurance wasn't as good as what I had. And with my DD daughter, I never know how they'll cover her, though she really has no exceptional medical expenses at this point. With my last childbirth, the hospital bill was approximately $10K. After insurance negotiated fee, it was less than $5500 and insurance paid everything over $1500. My daughter's foster mom, uninsured, had to have an emergency c-section. Her bill is in the $10Ks, and she will get no discount as negotiated by her non-existent insurance contract. Her husband is a pastor at a tiny church in a rural community, and though they had insurance that covered the baby, because she was pregnant when he took the position, she was not covered. The church had hoped to pay their bill for them, but there is no way that tiny church could come up with that kind of money. It really grieves me that they have such a burden and I got off so "easy", though I'm sure for some that $1500 front money would have been a hard hill...it was certainly easier than the full price. Unfortunately, I think some of it is the nature of health care. But you would think a "Christian" organization wouldn't operate the way the world does.... I don't care what denomination you claim. | ||
| Catalyst Registered user Username: Catalyst Post Number: 7 Registered: 6-2005 |
While Adventists are currently getting scrutiny - this is rampant in almost all not-for profit hospitals: http://www.wherethemoneygoes.com This link has been following the issue pretty well. | ||
| Brian2 Registered user Username: Brian2 Post Number: 5 Registered: 5-2005 |
Ric When you mention similar things happening in Dever to the Catholic hospitals you must lump Adventist hospitals in denver in the mix. You see Adventist Health in Colorado is partners with the Catholic Health system in Colorado called "Centura Health". The Largest Healthcare provider in Colorado. |
