Poll: Have you ever negotiated a bill with your doctor? / LJWorld.com

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Response		Percent	Votes
No		75%	281
Yes		24%	91
Total	372

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I'm a professional and let me guarantee you one thing. Nothing gets you in bad graces faster than pulling a stunt like this. Ask yourself, how would you like it if every time you got your paycheck your boss tried to talk you out of 20% of what you had agreed to be paid? The time to negotiate is BEFORE you get tge services, not after.

Fossick 1 year ago

"The time to negotiate is BEFORE you get the services, not after."

This is exactly correct. "Negotiating" carries the implicit threat that if you can reach a successful meeting point, you will walk away from the transaction. After you have received services, you have no right to walk away from your obligation in that transaction. You negotiate salary before you start the job, you negotiate price before you buy the car. Doctor's services are no different.

Fossick 1 year ago

"Cannot reach," not "can reach"....

Tell my why I don't like Tuesdays...

miker 1 year ago

After a lovely yelling session with my doc about a condition I have, I received no physical exam & was basically told I had another condition...and here's the bill. After WebMd'ing his diagnosis, it was word for word..I'm guessing he was reading it off his laptop ! After I insisted on a blood test & xrays, I get a call from him saying that I was right ! You could hear it in his voice that he knew he messed up... I have never raised my voice to a physician before, but after this display of arrogance, I wouldn't let him change my spark plugs ! (an $800 procedure).

Paul R. Getto 1 year ago

There are other approaches: "You know, before we all started having health care, in the olden days, our grandparents, they would bring a chicken to the doctor. They would say I'll paint your house.... In the old days that's what people would do to get health care with their doctors. Doctors are very sympathetic people. I'm not backing down from that system." http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/richard-adams-blog/2010/apr/21/sue-lowden-lowdencare-chickens-nevada

Jimo 1 year ago

Yes, the Sharon Angle approach.

Thank her and the wacko Tea Party for re-electing the most unpopular incumbent (Harry Reid) in 2010 and preserving the Democratic "control" of the Senate.

What health care problem can't be solved by drinking your Tea in concentrate?

Jimo 1 year ago

Actually, yes. I helped a relative negotiate a $143k bill down to $35k.

Not that I find that a very impressive accomplishment considering the hospital basically just made up the original invoice. (Why they didn't just start the "bidding" at $1M, I don't know.)

You don't have to be a libertarian economist to grasp that markets can't work without price transparency. No wonder health costs are out of control.

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