The Cost of Treating Uninsured Patients

I treat uninsured patients and insured folks who face high deductibles who are under financial strain because of the sagging economy and other personal pressures.These folks need care that may be unaffordable. Medical diagnostic testing is expensive. Even routine laboratory testing can be very costly as those without insurance may be forced to pay the ‘retail cost’, which is quite different from insurance company discounted pricing.

I treat uninsured patients and insured folks who face high deductibles who are under financial strain because of the sagging economy and other personal pressures.These folks need care that may be unaffordable. Medical diagnostic testing is expensive. Even routine laboratory testing can be very costly as those without insurance may be forced to pay the ‘retail cost’, which is quite different from insurance company discounted pricing. This absurdity is often seen in the emergency room where an uninsured patient can be billed thousands of dollars compared to an insured person who has received identical medical care whose insurance company will pay a fraction of this amount. Crazy.

Because I am a human being, I try to be sensitive to my patients’ financial concerns.   Does the uninsured patient before me really need a CAT scan or a colonoscopy?  Couldn’t we just watch and wait for a week or two and spare him from the expense?