Insurance

I always find it funny how insurance works.

You go to the doctor, the doctor charges some amount just to see you, the doctor sends a bill to your insurance for the rest of the stuff, and insurance says "You ask for $100, and yet you'll only get $3.52." And the doctor is fine with it. Yeah, I dare you to try and do this with any other professional who provides you with services.

I totally should go dig up my "It's more than a day's pay" explanation of how much my benefits actually cost my employer, find the amount that they put in for medical, and then calculate how much everything should cost (as per doctor bills), and then find out how much the insurance actually pays. Mostly because I think the insurance company is probably jacking my employer.

I guess I shouldn't really be that surprised that the insurance only pays $2.56 for a $115 lab procedure; the insurance company was involved with that whole Ingenix fraud thing.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, my dental "insurance" has a set list amount they'll pay per procedure. If the dentist charges more than that amount, then you have to pay the extra, and the amount they pay is set by the American Dental Association. It really comes down to how much you're willing/able to pay because you can absolutely find a dentist that charges the amount the insurance gives you, but at the same time, the specialists probably don't charge the amount the insurance is willing to pay. But I will say I think I like this way a little better because I don't feel like my dentist is getting gypped. So, is there really any surprise that I always feel like my doctor is trying to squeeze in as many patients as possible, while the dentist always seems to have extra time?