I recently had a minor surgical procedure – outpatient – no big deal. During my follow-up appointment my doctor said he needed to have me get a simple follow-up test to confirm that everything looked okay. When I called to make an appointment at the radiology center my doctor prefers, I was told that my insurance wouldn't cover most of the cost at their center. Since it was my doctor's center of choice, I asked what the out-of-pocket cost would be.
The woman on the phone asked me to hold a moment, and when she came back she informed me they couldn't accept direct payment.
Excuse me? I was sure I misunderstood. You're saying I can't pay you cash money to perform the procedure you're in business to perform?
No. They wouldn't let me pay for it myself because I had insurance coverage.
Here's where you look around for the hidden camera. This is a joke, right? Please tell me we haven't come to a point where a health service will close the door in your face because you aren't covered by the insurance companies they've chosen to do business with.
It's insane! And this is just a small part of what we're up against when it comes to fixing the deep bureaucracy of our overburdened health care system.
I think that fix is going to be harder than we ever imagined.
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