Will Something Finally be Done About the Out of Network/In Network Insurance Scheme?

Its only taken decades but finally the government is trying to rein in costs associated with health insurance. Ever been scared to go to another doctors office other than your own? Well part of that is probably a financial issue. You can pay up to 75% more out of pocket when you go to an out of network provider. What do I mean by out of network?...Insurers have certain doctors in their umbrella of physicians, those who usually receive more payment for controlling their costs. If you go to another doctor not on their list, you have to pay a lot more. J Rockefeller has had enough.

Courtesy yahoo health: Sen. Jay Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, wants answers from companies known to deliberately charge more for out of network services, at a hearing Tuesday from the chief executives of UnitedHealth Group Inc. and its subsidiary Ingenix Inc., a claims database used by insurers nationwide to calculate out-of-network rates.

The inquiry follows lawsuits and an investigation by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo alleging that UnitedHealth and Ingenix manipulated rate data so insurers had to pay less and patients more for out-of-network services.

"They're lowballing deliberately. They deliberately cut the numbers so the consumer has to pay more of the cost," Rockefeller, D-W.Va., said in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday.

"It's scamming. It's fraud," he said.

Whike some have taken steps to reduce the huge disparity in charges, Rockefeller and other lawmakers, along with doctors and consumer groups, view the matter as far from over. They say more accountability and transparency is needed in how insurance companies determine out-of-network rates, and that patients need to understand how it's done to avoid sticker shock when they get their medical bills.