Check Up
Had to laugh — seriously.
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I had my yearly check-up not long ago. I had no idea what the purposes were for all the questions and tests. I got the itemized bill yesterday. Turns out that looking down the hall-way and reading off some letters on the chart was an eye test — for insurance purposes. The visit itself was called an office visit, cha-ching; the blood test was for lipids, another cha ching. The question and answer periods were billed as tests for depression and “advanced care planning.” The total bill was one amount; the insurance “adjustment” resulted in lowering the total by nearly half. The insurance company has apparently been billed for the half left after the adjustment. My co-pay is $15.00.
I sent a message through the doctor’s “patient portal,” asking if there is a way to pay my co-pay with a credit card. It turns out that I could do that — over the telephone. So I did. This whole incident would be funny; except it’s being repeated all day, every day in the office of every PCP in the country. No wonder our health care system is not all it could be — and should be!
