Round 1: DME 1, SleepDaddy 0

[quote="nodding off"]There are plenty of good, caring dmes out there that don't try to rip out your eyeteeth. ......

I'm not going to worry about how much the DME charges my insurance plan. My insurance does pay 100% of durable medical equipment charges, so I'm lucky.

But I did spend a good amount of time today going over my insurance claims for 2005 (seems the hospital wants an additional 20,000 bucks for my surgery last year for stuff NOT covered by insurance...YIKES).

Anyway, I see that my DME is charging my insurance company $256.00 per month to rent my 420E.......and my insurance is only paying them $55.53 per month (and I am NOT liable for the difference).

My sleep study in August was billed at $3,739.....and they were only reimbursed 2,567.......

Insurance is all a numbers game.....absolutely crazy.

Jan in Colo.

[quote="Jan in Colo."]I'm not going to worry about how much the DME charges my insurance plan. My insurance does pay 100% of durable medical equipment charges, so I'm lucky.

But I did spend a good amount of time today going over my insurance claims for 2005 (seems the hospital wants an additional 20,000 bucks for my surgery last year for stuff NOT covered by insurance...YIKES).

Anyway, I see that my DME is charging my insurance company $256.00 per month to rent my 420E.......and my insurance is only paying them $55.53 per month (and I am NOT liable for the difference).

My sleep study in August was billed at $3,739.....and they were only reimbursed 2,567.......



Insurance is all a numbers game.....absolutely crazy.

Jan in Colo.

Sorry, my auto sign in seems to not work anymore, have to sign in manually everytime when I remember to look/see.

And why can the internet suppliers do so much better on customer service with their slim margins and being remotely located from their customers?....One does wonder.......

I think we know the answer: Accountability!!!
When I spend my own money, I'm careful about how I spend it. OK, so maybe I wasn't exactly a spendrift when I purchased my spiffy new Respironics Auto-BiPAP, but I'm sure I spent at least 30 to 40 hours researching what was available and I think I got it at the best price available and with excellent service besides.

In contrast; although I've spent well over $20,000 of the insurance company's money in the past year (eye surgery), I did so without a single thought as to the cost. After my deductible for the year was satisfied, I incurred not a single medical expense, except for the BiPAP, and I may yet get reimbursed for that too.

As reckless as this sounds, I'm actually transitioning to learning how to hold the medical establishment accountable. My insurance has a high family deductible of $5000, so up to that amount is out-of-pocket. (I certainly hope that I don't incur that amount every year.) What I had the largest problem with was asking physicians and their office helpers what the cost of such-and-such was ahead of time. The few times I've gotten definite answers it has usually taken days and been like "pulling teeth". The price of physician's services, including DME's, unlike most other other businesses, is well concealed from their customers.

[rant ON] I kinda feel like I'm paving the way here. But when it's my money, I care. I naturally expect good service when I go to a business establishment and those times when I get lousy service, I often decide to go elsewhere. Physicians and DME's are no exception. [/rant OFF]

Regards,
Bill (I feel so much better now)