Why one needs Medical Insurance?
My father has been suffering from Asthama since 15 years, and very recently he had breathing problem. We got him admitted to MS Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, as it was closer to my home. As his ECG was not normal, he was sent the CCU - Cardiac Care Unit for further analysis. A scan was done and a block was identified in his heart. As it was straight forward treatment of Angioplasty, it got done quickly and my father got discharged within 4 days.
The bills came to whopping 4.1 lac. I was shocked to see such a huge amount. I enquired the administration and requested for a detailed bill. And the culprit was my insurance. I mean, I could afford so much money. So they adjusted the numbers to reach that.
What if I were to get admitted without insurance?
It would have costed 1/3rd the amount.
Who is getting the benefit - Am I as an insurance payee, the insurance company or the hospital?
These are the advantages I have found with insurance -
* You do not have to worry about money.
* Hospital management treat you good.
* Doctors talk to you like a friend and are available for a quick conversation.
The sad side
* My father was moved from CCU the moment I indicated that I need to check on how much can I afford for the operation.
* You do not know what is billed and why? - "Why should you bother, when insurance pays" is the attitude
* You go through more tests than necessary
* You are encouraged to stay longer at the hospital
* More luxury than actual treatment... (do you need a TV when you are to stay for a day)
Well.. given a choice, will I use Insurance? I will certainly be doing. The insurance has been helpful in such critical times. I cannot think of running behind financial companies for loan rather then attending the patient. But at the some point, I wish that the money is not misused this way. I hope the hospitals become more service oriented than commercial.
At the end of it, I keep getting the thoughts that, this could have been handled better if I were more proactive. Kept track of what hospital was billing me, and making my choices appropriately (like choosing right bedding as needed).
Your thoughts are welcome.
The bills came to whopping 4.1 lac. I was shocked to see such a huge amount. I enquired the administration and requested for a detailed bill. And the culprit was my insurance. I mean, I could afford so much money. So they adjusted the numbers to reach that.
What if I were to get admitted without insurance?
It would have costed 1/3rd the amount.
Who is getting the benefit - Am I as an insurance payee, the insurance company or the hospital?
These are the advantages I have found with insurance -
* You do not have to worry about money.
* Hospital management treat you good.
* Doctors talk to you like a friend and are available for a quick conversation.
The sad side
* My father was moved from CCU the moment I indicated that I need to check on how much can I afford for the operation.
* You do not know what is billed and why? - "Why should you bother, when insurance pays" is the attitude
* You go through more tests than necessary
* You are encouraged to stay longer at the hospital
* More luxury than actual treatment... (do you need a TV when you are to stay for a day)
Well.. given a choice, will I use Insurance? I will certainly be doing. The insurance has been helpful in such critical times. I cannot think of running behind financial companies for loan rather then attending the patient. But at the some point, I wish that the money is not misused this way. I hope the hospitals become more service oriented than commercial.
At the end of it, I keep getting the thoughts that, this could have been handled better if I were more proactive. Kept track of what hospital was billing me, and making my choices appropriately (like choosing right bedding as needed).
Your thoughts are welcome.
posted by Ananda at 2:38 PM
1 Comments:
Nagu,
I have been lucky that the amount got covered this week. Need to keep my finger crossed - as I have no money left for this year.
BTW, how much did it cost you?
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