Two kids, 1 doctor visit - 2 copayments?

[paulney]

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?

Our older daughter (5 years) got a pink eye from school. Oh well, shit happens. But by the time we recognize it (didn't start with the eye - started with pain ear, which we attributed to something else), our younger daughter (7 months) got a pink eye, too.

All right, off to the doctor we go.
They want two copayments. But you know what? They aren't spending any extra resources on the second kid! Will the second kid get a separate room? No. Separate doctor's time? No. It'll all be handled under one appointment. And, of course, even though our copayment is $25, and they will get $50 from us, they will get 3x this much from insurance, because they will bill these as two completely separate visits.

And then we wonder why medical insurance is so expensive.

 

[AgentUnknown]

You are asking the doctor to commit insurance fraud. Yes, you are one of those patients.

 

[SSSnail]

You don't want to pay twice? Bring one kid.

 

[paulney]

You are asking the doctor to commit insurance fraud. Yes, you are one of those patients.

I'm not asking the doctor to do anything. I think that filing 2 claims when you spent the allocated resources only on 1 patient is a fraud.

 

[iGas]

It is not one appointment.

They are seeing 2 separate patients. You could have asked for 2 separate appointments and waited twice as long for the kids.

 

[SSSnail]

I smell a thread backfire incoming.

Quoted for posterity.

You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?

Our older daughter (5 years) got a pink eye from school. Oh well, shit happens. But by the time we recognize it (didn't start with the eye - started with pain ear, which we attributed to something else), our younger daughter (7 months) got a pink eye, too.

All right, off to the doctor we go.
They want two copayments. But you know what? They aren't spending any extra resources on the second kid! Will the second kid get a separate room? No. Separate doctor's time? No. It'll all be handled under one appointment. And, of course, even though our copayment is $25, and they will get $50 from us, they will get 3x this much from insurance, because they will bill these as two completely separate visits.

And then we wonder why medical insurance is so expensive.

 

[AgentUnknown]

You are asking them to commit insurance fraud. You whine and scream about your copay, but you don't blink an eye when you pay for the latest gadget or computer hardware purchase.

What grinds my gears are people who want other people to commit fraud.

 

[Bignate603]

I see nothing wrong with what the doctor's office did.

 

[SlowSpyder]

The way I understand it, if they have to pull a medical file for someone, you get charged. So if you go to the doctor for one of your kids and happen to ask the doctor about your sore elbow, you'll probably get the quick advice and no charge. If the doctor has to pull your file and your name is on an appointment, you get charged.

The fact of the matter is that in this case two patients were serviced. Pay it.

 

[paulney]

It is not one appointment.

They are seeing 2 separate patients. You could have asked for 2 separate appointments and waited twice as long for the kids.

Could've/would've - if grandma had balls she'd be a grandpa.
They didn't, because it was convenient for them - their incentive is to squeeze as many people a day as they can. Yet, they will file it not as 1.5 appt, but as 2 separate appointments and not bat an eye.

 

[paulney]

You are asking them to commit insurance fraud. You whine and scream about your copay, but you don't blink an eye when you pay for the latest gadget or computer hardware purchase.

What grinds my gears are people who want other people to commit fraud.

Learn to fucking read. If they said: ok, we aren't wasting a room and extra doctor's time on you, but you'd have to pony up some - sure. But what they will do is squeeze 2 people in one time slot, and bill for two people.

Who commits the fraud now?

 

[paulney]

The way I understand it, if they have to pull a medical file for someone, you get charged. So if you go to the doctor for one of your kids and happen to ask the doctor about your sore elbow, you'll probably get the quick advice and no charge. If the doctor has to pull your file and your name is on an appointment, you get charged.

The fact of the matter is that in this case two patients were serviced. Pay it.

Ultimately what you pay for is:
- doctor's time
- office resources

Since neither were spent as double, I don't see billing as double as a right thing either.

 

[GlacierFreeze]

2 patients, 2 copayments.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Only bring one kid and you only have to pay one copayment. Why don't you seem to understand that the Doctor will be checking both of your daughters? Two patients = Two visits = Two sets of paperwork

 

[SlowSpyder]

Ultimately what you pay for is:
- doctor's time
- office resources

Since neither were spent as double, I don't see billing as double as a right thing either.

Yea, I understand that. But technically the doctor treated two patients. Who knows what has to happen on the backend for two patients, two prescriptions, enting information for both patients, or the doctor may have had to block off extra time incase it took longer since he/she had to look at a second patient.

 

[iGas]

Yea, I understand that. But technically the doctor treated two patients. Who knows what has to happen on the backend for two patients, two prescriptions, enting information for both patients, or the doctor may have had to block off extra time incase it took longer since he/she had to look at a second patient.

It is per visit charge, therefore the charge is the same if it were 1 minute or 1 hour per person/patient.

 

[rudeguy]

schedule one visit
bring second kid
mention to doc that second kid has X problem
1 copay


At least that's how it works with my doc. If I bring lil rudeguy in for a checkup and I need something I just ninja attack him. Its how I got my RX for my nicotine lozenges.

 

[sixone]

Yea, I understand that. But technically the doctor treated two patients. Who knows what has to happen on the backend for two patients, two prescriptions, enting information for both patients, or the doctor may have had to block off extra time incase it took longer since he/she had to look at a second patient.

This.

 

[iGas]

schedule one visit
bring second kid
mention to doc that second kid has X problem
1 copay


At least that's how it works with my doc. If I bring lil rudeguy in for a checkup and I need something I just ninja attack him. Its how I got my RX for my nicotine lozenges.

Your doctor is being nice to you, and you shouldn't have take advantage of him by asking him regarding other symptoms that you have.

 

[Bignate603]

It is per visit charge, therefore the charge is the same if it were 1 minute or 1 hour per person/patient.

Exactly. Sometimes you pay the copay for a short visit, sometimes you pay pay the copay for a long visit. I just had an office visit that took about 45 minutes of the doctor's time and I paid $25. It's likely next time I'll only need 10 minutes of their time yet I'll pay the same amount. In the end it all evens out.

 

[OverVolt]

Your doctor is being nice to you, and you shouldn't have take advantage of him by asking him regarding other symptoms that you have.

It won't work if you don't try. What is he going to do, drop him? There are plenty of other doctors. If the doctor tries to drop a patient just because they try something like this, well then whatever.

 

[RocksteadyDotNet]

Wait, what?

 

[slayer202]

jesus, you "fraud" people are insane lol...

bottom line, there isn't a better way to handle it. as someone already mentioned, the alternative would be to make 2 seperate appointments which doesn't help anybody

 

[Powermoloch]

1 patient = 1 co payment
2 patients = 2 co payments

make sense?

 

[DrPizza]

I'd probably have done what Rudeguy did. If I suspected it was pinkeye, I'd have simply taken in one kid "just to get the diagnosis confirmed. Both kids have the same thing." And gotten the prescription for the 2nd kid for the medication without needing to pay 2 copays.

(In reality, we probably would have contacted a doctor and gotten the prescription without the kids being seen.)