There is no easy answer to that question Chris, but the short answer is
LOTS. It depends on where you have the procedure done but typically you or
your insurance company will receive a bill from the GI physician who
performs the endoscopy, another bill from the anesthesiologist who puts you
under, and a bill from the facility in which it is performed. If done at a
hospital endoscopy center, the facility fee is stratospheric and a complete
fiction. No one really knows how hospitals come up with there "list"
prices, but they have no basis in reality that I can see. They may send
your insurance company a bill for $20,000 for the 40 minute procedure but
have contractually agreed to accept $3000 from the 3rd party payer. A
reasonable insurance carrier will pay 80% of this and the rest comes out of
your pocket. The doctor's bills are treated in a similar fashion but the
"list" price is an order of magnitude lower. Fortunately many of the GI
docs run their own endoscopy centers and you or your insurance company will
receive only one bill which is typically (but not always) more reasonable.
In a similar fashion they are paid a % by insurance companies. So if you
are paying outside of insurance you must shop very carefully and be very up
front about your financial situation. Many physicians will negotiate the
price in that situation.
Unfortunately this is the screwed up system under which we operate and I
see no relief in sight.
Charlie
On Thu, May 30, 2013 at 12:05 PM, Chris Barker <ftog@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Hmm! How much might it have cost, Paul? I have no clue as to the price
> of such procedures.
>
> Chris
>
> On 30 May 2013, at 14:56, Paul Braun <pbraun42@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > Now that I'm 50, I get my first one. Since Dad had colon cancer, my doc
> > wanted me to get one two years ago, but my insurance company said, "Yeah,
> > well, that's good and all, but if you want to do it now, you're paying
> for
> > it all yourself. If you want us to pay for it, come back and talk to us
> > when you're 50. Honestly, we don't really care if you have a family
> > history of it or not. Our rules say 50, so 50 it is."
>
> --
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