THEIR RULES, OUR PAIN
Real stories of people trampled by the insurance companies
"Having worked in health care administration for years, I am aware of how much money is spent on non-direct health care expenses, such as processing claims and programming and purchasing billing systems. It's outrageous and frustrating. Additionally, these administrative issues affect the delivery of health care in that health care providers must be trained and retrained in how to complete billing paperwork as new rules are implemented by the payers, and as systems are changed and upgraded. They should not be allowed to continually change the payment rules (i.e., forms, formats, field lengths, codes, etc.) in order to confuse the providers and those who are insured."
Learn about how insurance companies use administrative inefficiencies to delay and deny paying legitimate claims in this week’s Foul Play.
Find out how doctors, hospitals and other health care providers are getting trampled by insurance companies.
Read other stories in the "Their Rules, Our Pain" archive.
LATEST SCORECARD
Fifty-eight percent of primary care doctors in the U.S. report their patients often have difficulty paying for medications and care, and half of U.S. doctors spend substantial time dealing with restrictions insurance companies place on their patients’ care, according to the 2009 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey.
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Families saw their premiums for job-based health insurance rise to an average of $13,375 annually in 2009, with workers paying an average share of $3,515 and employers paying $9,860.
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