Re: dr b- insurance

Posted by SecretTTCer

Posted by bookworm

Posted by MrsKS

Posted by curiousO

unfortunately, it is the trend now in NYC. Good drs take cash only. Some awesome ob gyns do that and dr B is now following this trend. My ob gyn is out of the network for all insurances as well, but thank god, out of network benefits cover me. this sucks though

It's tragic!!

Esp the "good dr's take cash only part".... so basically unless you have the dough you can't get good dr's to work with you. I think that's just awful!!!!

I HATE insurance companies... I think for the most par they are just scammers.

ITA, but these are the doctors' choices to refuse coverage, not the ins. companies. everyone's asking why, why why? there's a simple answer: greed. i find it hard to believe these doctors are missing payments on their mercedes. especially since IF is big business, and they're able to bill up the yin-yang with all those monitoring appointments, in-house lab work, and the procedures on top it.

Wow! This isn't true at all. Insurance companies dictate how doctors treat patients. For example, we have all seen posts on LIF about someone having to do 12 IUIs before the doctor can do an IVF. Ridiculous. They can audit records, delay or refuse to pay the doctor, and of course, pay the doctors pennies on the dollar. In order to make a living and pay staff and the expensive equipment these offices require, the doctor is forced to take a zillion patients if they are in network. Doctors who accept insurance need to hire an entire staff just to submit insurance forms. The great doctors who can have a practice without insurance are able to practice medicine the way they want. I don't think it is about greed. It is about being able to practice medicine with independence from insurance companies. Patients who cannot afford private pay or who don't have out of network, can just go to someone who does accept insurance.

Also I wouldn't hate doctors who drive Mercedes. Most of them have student loans approaching a half million dollars. Most of them don't start making six figure salaries until they are in their 40s. If the compensation isn't worthy of the sacrifice then the profession would never be able to attract the best and brightest.

Re: dr b- insurance

I'm sure Dr B knew what a PITA insurance firms are before going out on his own.

Maybe he should have stayed in a group practice so he had the resources needed to deal with all of this.

Re: dr b- insurance

Just curious, does anyone know what his oop monitoring apt bill is and what do they bill when you do have regular insurance (not out of network or co-ins).

Re: dr b- insurance

Posted by bookworm

Posted by SecretTTCer

Posted by bookworm

Posted by MrsKS

Posted by curiousO

unfortunately, it is the trend now in NYC. Good drs take cash only. Some awesome ob gyns do that and dr B is now following this trend. My ob gyn is out of the network for all insurances as well, but thank god, out of network benefits cover me. this sucks though

It's tragic!!

Esp the "good dr's take cash only part".... so basically unless you have the dough you can't get good dr's to work with you. I think that's just awful!!!!

I HATE insurance companies... I think for the most par they are just scammers.

ITA, but these are the doctors' choices to refuse coverage, not the ins. companies. everyone's asking why, why why? there's a simple answer: greed. i find it hard to believe these doctors are missing payments on their mercedes. especially since IF is big business, and they're able to bill up the yin-yang with all those monitoring appointments, in-house lab work, and the procedures on top it.

Wow! This isn't true at all. Insurance companies dictate how doctors treat patients. For example, we have all seen posts on LIF about someone having to do 12 IUIs before the doctor can do an IVF. Ridiculous. They can audit records, delay or refuse to pay the doctor, and of course, pay the doctors pennies on the dollar. In order to make a living and pay staff and the expensive equipment these offices require, the doctor is forced to take a zillion patients if they are in network. Doctors who accept insurance need to hire an entire staff just to submit insurance forms. The great doctors who can have a practice without insurance are able to practice medicine the way they want. I don't think it is about greed. It is about being able to practice medicine with independence from insurance companies. Patients who cannot afford private pay or who don't have out of network, can just go to someone who does accept insurance.

Also I wouldn't hate doctors who drive Mercedes. Most of them have student loans approaching a half million dollars. Most of them don't start making six figure salaries until they are in their 40s. If the compensation isn't worthy of the sacrifice then the profession would never be able to attract the best and brightest.

I don't think it's fair to say it's not true "at all". It is often true that doctors refuse certain insurance coverage because they want to be paid more. Do I begrudge doctors their healthy compensation? No, not with all that education. However, IF is big business. That's why the big ones on LI have been able to continue to expand and expand. For each monitoring appointment they bill for a consultation, u/s, the act of taking blood, and the in-house lab work. That doesn't include the $5k-$10k they get for an IVF procedure (not including monitoring expenses). I'm not sure what Dr. B's personal motivations are for deciding to accept NO insurance coverage at all with what sounds like little warning to his patients, but I was responding to a post about "good dr's" in general. However, I know that he's decided to stop accepting NYSHIP (government insurance) which is great coverage that allows a lot of flexibility for the doctor to freely make decisions about patient care (no minimum number of IUIs before the next step). Clearly it's not always about that, though I'm sure sometimes it is. However, with a husband in health care, I find it sad that it's all too often the case that profits supersede people even in something like medicine, which is supposed to be a do-gooder's profession even if they do deserve to be paid handsomely for their expertise.

Re: dr b- insurance

Take a look at your insurance bill and see how much those doctors get paid. I remember when I was pregnant, my OBGYN got paid $2-$3 for certain monthly appointments!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Medicine is not what it was. Greedy doctors are not the problem. The problem are greedy insurance companies who are not properly regulated.


Yup! I just looked at my claims in network and my insurance co was paying $25 of the billed $200 and $81 of the billed $350 visit. Out of network they are paying $32 of the $200 and $66 of the $350. I guess all insurance cos are different though.

I did see that the Drs were paid more than they billed for though...interesting.

Re: dr b- insurance

Posted by SecretTTCer

Posted by bookworm

Posted by SecretTTCer

Posted by bookworm

Posted by MrsKS

Posted by curiousO

unfortunately, it is the trend now in NYC. Good drs take cash only. Some awesome ob gyns do that and dr B is now following this trend. My ob gyn is out of the network for all insurances as well, but thank god, out of network benefits cover me. this sucks though

It's tragic!!

Esp the "good dr's take cash only part".... so basically unless you have the dough you can't get good dr's to work with you. I think that's just awful!!!!

I HATE insurance companies... I think for the most par they are just scammers.

ITA, but these are the doctors' choices to refuse coverage, not the ins. companies. everyone's asking why, why why? there's a simple answer: greed. i find it hard to believe these doctors are missing payments on their mercedes. especially since IF is big business, and they're able to bill up the yin-yang with all those monitoring appointments, in-house lab work, and the procedures on top it.

Wow! This isn't true at all. Insurance companies dictate how doctors treat patients. For example, we have all seen posts on LIF about someone having to do 12 IUIs before the doctor can do an IVF. Ridiculous. They can audit records, delay or refuse to pay the doctor, and of course, pay the doctors pennies on the dollar. In order to make a living and pay staff and the expensive equipment these offices require, the doctor is forced to take a zillion patients if they are in network. Doctors who accept insurance need to hire an entire staff just to submit insurance forms. The great doctors who can have a practice without insurance are able to practice medicine the way they want. I don't think it is about greed. It is about being able to practice medicine with independence from insurance companies. Patients who cannot afford private pay or who don't have out of network, can just go to someone who does accept insurance.

Also I wouldn't hate doctors who drive Mercedes. Most of them have student loans approaching a half million dollars. Most of them don't start making six figure salaries until they are in their 40s. If the compensation isn't worthy of the sacrifice then the profession would never be able to attract the best and brightest.

I don't think it's fair to say it's not true "at all". It is often true that doctors refuse certain insurance coverage because they want to be paid more. Do I begrudge doctors their healthy compensation? No, not with all that education. However, IF is big business. That's why the big ones on LI have been able to continue to expand and expand. For each monitoring appointment they bill for a consultation, u/s, the act of taking blood, and the in-house lab work. That doesn't include the $5k-$10k they get for an IVF procedure (not including monitoring expenses). I'm not sure what Dr. B's personal motivations are for deciding to accept NO insurance coverage at all with what sounds like little warning to his patients, but I was responding to a post about "good dr's" in general. However, I know that he's decided to stop accepting NYSHIP (government insurance) which is great coverage that allows a lot of flexibility for the doctor to freely make decisions about patient care (no minimum number of IUIs before the next step). Clearly it's not always about that, though I'm sure sometimes it is. However, with a husband in health care, I find it sad that it's all too often the case that profits supersede people even in something like medicine, which is supposed to be a do-gooder's profession even if they do deserve to be paid handsomely for their expertise.

Take a look at your insurance bill and see how much those doctors get paid. I remember when I was pregnant, my OBGYN got paid $2-$3 for certain monthly appointments!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Medicine is not what it was. Greedy doctors are not the problem. The problem are greedy insurance companies who are not properly regulated.

Re: dr b- insurance

[
I just want to say that greed rings true for some dr's as well as insurance companies.

I actually think both of the points are correct.

I couldn't tell you which dr's are greed motivated specifically. But they are certainly out there.
But I'd feel comfortable enough saying that the majority or all insurance companies are greed motivated (not just health insurance either).

Specifically with Dr B... IDK what his motivation is exactly. but this outcome is sooo sad!! he's really a great doctor and IF is ridiculously expensive to go through and to find such a great dr who now doesn't accept insurance is just devastating to the patient (who IMO is the most important person in the grand scheme of things).

The sad part is that we the people are the ones who suffer in the end.
And the point I was really trying to drive home was more that "money talks" in terms of those who have money will be able to afford to go to the "good doctor's" that were referenced in the beginning. I just think that's wrong and unfair. It's like those who have money just have all the finer things in life... even good medical treatment which should be a right to everyone, rich, poor and in between.

I know each person's idea of what a "good doctor" is, is relative... but generally speaking those doctors who know asking people to pay OOP to see them must know they will still be able to make ends meet even with dropping clients due to the insurance situation.

sorry but insurance in this country really stinks. I think it needs some major renovations.

I really just find this to be overall very very sad.


I agree on all levels of this.

My insurance is horrible with the rates they pay. I found out the hard way when I decided to go to Cornell and go out of network. I think I put $14,000 out and got $5,000 back. At least they do take some insurances, just not mine. So I used one of my IVFs and still paid $8,000. Since then, I always look to see what every dr I go to gets paid for services. It is a fraction of what they bill. Insurance companies are horrible!

That said, Dr. B dropping ALL insurances, that is going to fall on the patients, and as the other poster said, I think it is very sad, especially in the field of fertility. I don't know why he went from taking most insurances to none, because some insurance companies do pay better than others. This will definetely fall on the patient and the patient only. I feel especially sad for the patients in the middle of care. To take all kinds of insurance and abruptly stop taking all insurance in the middle of care, is another story. I have a friend who is a patient of his and is not on this board, that I must alert of this, as I know she will never be able to see him out of network and I am getting the feeling she was not aware of this.

Message edited 6/1/2011 7:48:25 AM.

Re: dr b- insurance

He had a major problem this past year, bills were submitted incorrectly and he didnt get paid for sooo many claims...:stinks though

Re: dr b- insurance

I can understand the reasoning in relation to all the stupid rules the ins companies hold him to. 12 IUIs before IVF? We all agree that's insanity. Now he will be able to practice freely. It is true (and unfortunate) that most of the "good" doctors don't accept insurance anymore.

It turnes out I might be a very lucky individual since I have OON coverage AND a $200 deductible and they pay 100% of the submitted charges. It's a bargain compared to $25 copays I currently have for every visit.

I hope those who are having this issue have a smooth transition.