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Comment by alain_gilbert | Hacker News Reader

I once tried to get some pills at CVS. I was charged something like $500, and asked for my insurance information. When I told them I had no insurance, they told me to go talk to a person a few meters away so that he can help me... I got the pills for $30.

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I am not asserting that it applies in the above instance, but...

In broader medicine, one basis that can lead to the above sort of dynamic is compassionate protocol ("we are losing a little money on this deal, but you are in-need and we're here to help everyone"), as opposed to greed protocol ("we medicos are here for the big insurance money, and only charge the True Low Cost when forced").

And on balance, the nature of the people who choose the occupation of medicine tends towards the former.

drug companies themselves often have programs to offer them to the uninsured at copay or greatly reduced cost.

A lot of doctors are willing to cut their rates if you're willing to pay cash for the full amount. It's the paperwork that inflates insurance costs. I'm sure AI will cut through that and make it less a problem though. /s

If you're willing to pay cash?

This sounds more like tax evasion than paperwork avoidance.

It also means not paying credit card fees, not having to chase down bounced checks, etc. Cash means the money is there, which has value.

When I "pay cash" for a medical procedure it's actually with a credit card.

Just means I'm paying them directly instead of making them deal with my insurance.

"Paying cash" doesn't mean literally that in this context. Cash, credit card, check... "Paying cash" just means paying directly without involving insurance.

Could be that. Could be they don't want to pay 3% to a middle.

I mean pay 100% of the cost yourself rather than relying on insurance. You can use a bank card or credit card.

Beware that some providers are in contracts prohibiting them from taking cash payments if they know a patient is covered by the contracting insurance carrier. I don't know the specifics of the business justification for these terms but they do exist.

I've had providers tell me they'd have been happy to charge me less, making less than their insurance reimbursement, but not have to mess w/ billing my insurance, but they were unable because their contract with my insurer did not allow it.

>A lot of doctors are willing to cut their rates if you're willing to pay cash for the full amount

Are pennies okay? Sorry, they're not rolled. Just let me know if it's not enough.

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