Power
Wow. I knew it before, but this is the first time I've seen it with my own eyes. Insurance companies have so much power.
A few weeks ago I went to the doctor for my yearly physical/checkup. They routinely drew some blood (standard practice to make sure everything is normal) and had it sent off to the hospital's lab to be processed.
The cost for the lab technicians and/or the laboratory doctor to examine the blood smear and run other tests on it came out to be $55.
Fifty five dollars. That's a very reasonable price to have multiple sets of eyes (and computers) look at my cells and perform other tests on my blood to make sure I'm in good health!
Blue Cross Blue Shield apparently disagrees.
Check out the "Processed Insurance Claim Report" I received in the mail today from Blue Cross. It's simple, but suprising.
Right next to the hospital's requested $55 fee for the blood work (circled in blue below) is how much money Blue Cross told the hospital it would get paid instead: $12.10
Twelve dollars and ten cents!
So this gigantic corporation is able to smugly tell doctors/hospitals/lab technicians (aka "Providers") "Welllll, we think we'll just pay you twelve dollars for doing that work-- take it or leave it."
I'm pretty sure if I tried that at the Wal-Mart checkout the cashier would laugh at me. If I tried it at Zale's Diamonds I'd probably get arrested.
If I was an insurance company, I could get away with it.
That's quite some power.
A few weeks ago I went to the doctor for my yearly physical/checkup. They routinely drew some blood (standard practice to make sure everything is normal) and had it sent off to the hospital's lab to be processed.
The cost for the lab technicians and/or the laboratory doctor to examine the blood smear and run other tests on it came out to be $55.
Fifty five dollars. That's a very reasonable price to have multiple sets of eyes (and computers) look at my cells and perform other tests on my blood to make sure I'm in good health!
Blue Cross Blue Shield apparently disagrees.
Check out the "Processed Insurance Claim Report" I received in the mail today from Blue Cross. It's simple, but suprising.
Right next to the hospital's requested $55 fee for the blood work (circled in blue below) is how much money Blue Cross told the hospital it would get paid instead: $12.10
Twelve dollars and ten cents!
So this gigantic corporation is able to smugly tell doctors/hospitals/lab technicians (aka "Providers") "Welllll, we think we'll just pay you twelve dollars for doing that work-- take it or leave it."
I'm pretty sure if I tried that at the Wal-Mart checkout the cashier would laugh at me. If I tried it at Zale's Diamonds I'd probably get arrested.
If I was an insurance company, I could get away with it.
That's quite some power.
Make Something Cool Every Day
I found these daily entries by Olly Moss, who decided at the beginning of 2009 she would start the Make Something Cool Every Day (MSCED) project where she attempts to, well, make or do something cool .....you guessed it- every day.
2/28/09: the simpsons
3/01/09: burt and ernie making out while cookie monster watches
3/2/09: the blue man group carving a pumpkin
3/3/09: kermit the frog about to walk across hot coals
3/4/09: papa smurf gets angry, turns into the hulk
2/28/09: the simpsons
3/01/09: burt and ernie making out while cookie monster watches
3/2/09: the blue man group carving a pumpkin
3/3/09: kermit the frog about to walk across hot coals
3/4/09: papa smurf gets angry, turns into the hulk