Saturday, November 04, 2006
Inflating the Cost of Health Care
I got a statement from my health insurance company for a chiropractic visit. This was one of those "Explanation of Benefits" reports that shows how much the provider charges, how much the provider lops off the price for the insurance company, how much the copay is, and, finally, how much the insurance company pays. I was astounded at how much the chiropractor charged - $126. Let's bold that - $126!!!! For the barest of adjustments. The chiropractor lopped off $46.77. I paid $25 as a copay. The insurance company paid $54.23.
Let's think about that $126 for a moment. The chiropractor needs to make enough money to make the business pay. If the insurance company decides it's only going to reimburse a certain amount and no more, but that amount won't cover what the chiropractor needs to charge, what do you think the natural reaction of the chiropractor is going to be? To raise the overall cost, of course.
Now, what happens when an uninsured person comes into the office? They get charged that exhorbitant $126 fee. The chiropractor can't not charge that fee, because the insurance company is supposed to be getting a deal.
In essence, the insurance companies, along with government medical programs, inflate the true cost of health care because they refuse to pay the full cost of what the chiropractor charges. You might argue that if insurance companies and government programs don't cap what they are willing to pay, health care providers will rake them over the coals. As it sits now, the ones getting raked over the coals are the uninsured - along with the rest of society that has to pay for a broken health care system.
Between my copay and the amount reimbursed by insurance, the actual amount paid to the chiropractor was approximately 65% of that $126. If $80 is what an appointment actually costs, then why aren't we all paying $80, instead of $126?
Let's think about that $126 for a moment. The chiropractor needs to make enough money to make the business pay. If the insurance company decides it's only going to reimburse a certain amount and no more, but that amount won't cover what the chiropractor needs to charge, what do you think the natural reaction of the chiropractor is going to be? To raise the overall cost, of course.
Now, what happens when an uninsured person comes into the office? They get charged that exhorbitant $126 fee. The chiropractor can't not charge that fee, because the insurance company is supposed to be getting a deal.
In essence, the insurance companies, along with government medical programs, inflate the true cost of health care because they refuse to pay the full cost of what the chiropractor charges. You might argue that if insurance companies and government programs don't cap what they are willing to pay, health care providers will rake them over the coals. As it sits now, the ones getting raked over the coals are the uninsured - along with the rest of society that has to pay for a broken health care system.
Between my copay and the amount reimbursed by insurance, the actual amount paid to the chiropractor was approximately 65% of that $126. If $80 is what an appointment actually costs, then why aren't we all paying $80, instead of $126?
Labels: chiropractor, healthcare, insurance
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
The Akashic Records in Zeros & Ones
Ever heard of the Akashic Records? In mystical circles, the Akashic Records are supposed to be all the thoughts, words, and deeds of everyone who has ever lived, floating around in some ether world that surrounds us. You can find a complete description of the concept on the Edgar Cayce website. (Edgar, who is no longer living, went into trances and helped people find solutions to medical problems via these trances.)
I believe that we are trying to make the Akashic Records "real" through our activity on the internet. We're all just furiously filtering stuff out of the Records and recreating it in zeros and ones. Don't be fooled, though. For as real as computers seem to make all of this info, and for as much influence as computers and digital info have on the world, when it comes right down to it, the stuff is really no more tangible than ether. Think about it. If you don't have a machine to read the info, if the server is down, if the software is outdated, if, if, if . . . then it matters not how much we've downloaded from the Akashic Records, it's all still inaccessible. Sounds so negative, doesn't it?
Yet, I don't feel negative about the Akashic Records or digital technology. I think the idea of the one and the reality of the other are truly exciting. If we humans can dream it, we can do it. That's the lesson here.
I've always been fascinated by mysticism, and equally fascinated by science and technology. The mysticism seems to come primarily from my mom's side of the family. My grandma was especially interested in hoodoo woowoo stuff. She had an Aunt Mary who was a chiropractor and crystal ball reader. I've only recently found this out through my mom. When I was a kid, there was a crystal ball in our game closet. It was in a tattered brown paper box and was a bit smaller than a pool ball - just as heavy though. My sister and I used to try and read it. We'd follow the instructions included with the ball and wait to see if a mist would develop inside the ball. Images would've been nice, but they never came. Turns out that this crystal ball was the VERY ONE used by Grandma's Aunt Mary. If only I could find it again.
My interest in science comes equally from my mom and my dad. My dad was a chemistry major in college and seemed to be very interested in scientific topics and TV shows while I was growing up. My mom could've been a doctor, she was so in tune with medicine and the body. This was probably due to the fact that she suffered from polio as a small child and underwent many, many operations before she was 18.
What really attracts me is the intersection between mysticism and science & technology. That's the fervently interesting gap where art & music & literature, heck - CREATION! - occurs
I believe that we are trying to make the Akashic Records "real" through our activity on the internet. We're all just furiously filtering stuff out of the Records and recreating it in zeros and ones. Don't be fooled, though. For as real as computers seem to make all of this info, and for as much influence as computers and digital info have on the world, when it comes right down to it, the stuff is really no more tangible than ether. Think about it. If you don't have a machine to read the info, if the server is down, if the software is outdated, if, if, if . . . then it matters not how much we've downloaded from the Akashic Records, it's all still inaccessible. Sounds so negative, doesn't it?
Yet, I don't feel negative about the Akashic Records or digital technology. I think the idea of the one and the reality of the other are truly exciting. If we humans can dream it, we can do it. That's the lesson here.
I've always been fascinated by mysticism, and equally fascinated by science and technology. The mysticism seems to come primarily from my mom's side of the family. My grandma was especially interested in hoodoo woowoo stuff. She had an Aunt Mary who was a chiropractor and crystal ball reader. I've only recently found this out through my mom. When I was a kid, there was a crystal ball in our game closet. It was in a tattered brown paper box and was a bit smaller than a pool ball - just as heavy though. My sister and I used to try and read it. We'd follow the instructions included with the ball and wait to see if a mist would develop inside the ball. Images would've been nice, but they never came. Turns out that this crystal ball was the VERY ONE used by Grandma's Aunt Mary. If only I could find it again.
My interest in science comes equally from my mom and my dad. My dad was a chemistry major in college and seemed to be very interested in scientific topics and TV shows while I was growing up. My mom could've been a doctor, she was so in tune with medicine and the body. This was probably due to the fact that she suffered from polio as a small child and underwent many, many operations before she was 18.
What really attracts me is the intersection between mysticism and science & technology. That's the fervently interesting gap where art & music & literature, heck - CREATION! - occurs
Labels: akashic records, chiropractor, creation, filter, mysticism, science, technology
