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A comment on The ER charged him $6,589.77 for 6 stitches, cost that led his wife to avoid ER. Parent comment

Re:The ER charged him $6,589.77 for 6 stitches, cost that le... by refurb on Saturday November 20, 2021 @09:20AM (#29288275)
Not really accurate.

The insurer did negotiate the price down - from $20,000, so a 20% discount.

But yes, UCSF just leverages their name and the desire for insurers to have them in network. Their attitude is basically “no, I won’t go lower, and you’ll pay anyways”.

No, insurance companies don’t keep 20% as profit. They can keep 20% in reserve, the rest has to be paid out as benefits that calendar year. United Healthcare’s profit margin is like 2-4%.

And of course they fight to lower their insurance premiums, that’s how they attract new customers.

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Re:The ER charged him $6,589.77 for 6 stitches, cost that le... by boplicity on Wednesday November 24, 2021 @03:42PM (#29334876)
> The insurer did negotiate the price down - from $20,000, so a 20% discount.

I've just got to point out that they're adding back 20% -- to keep in "reserve," as you say. So what's the advantage of insurance? The "premiums" force the scam pricing on everyone! (And not just the direct victims of this type of fraud.)

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