A fascinating and infuriating facet of medical billing in the US are the absolutely arcane statements. It is practically impossible to make any sense of them; you have no idea what it is you're paying for, or why.
My insurer (also my medical 'provider' 🤢 ) once sent me a bill labelled 'adjustment' for about $600. No explanation, no itemisation, just a demand for more money.
It's complete bollocks.
@sullybiker Had a 'dispute' with an insurer years ago and the resolution process was incredibly convoluted. I swore it was designed that way on purpose so people just give up and pay
@PeteMoss I think it's such a weird arrangement. It all seems so broken and frankly a bit shady.
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@sullybiker I’ve gotten that exact bill before, and it was my first medical bill ever to boot. I was so confused because in addition to just saying “adjustment” with an arbitrary dollar amount next to it, the statement was clearly marked “This is not a bill.” I of course did owe them the money but I had to call to find that out.
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@vulcao It's so frustrating. I have had the opposite scenario too, where I've questioned a bill and they've basically said "idk LOL" and removed it.
It really made me wonder if anyone knows what the hell it all means. It's a beast that feeds itself. How can it be ethical to charge someone money, then come back months later and demand more? Crazy.
Charity status too, of course.
Not unlike the tax system, it is structured to be so difficult to interpret that beneficiaries of it have virtually unlimited latitude to game it.