How do doctors get paid if the patient doesn't have insurance?

[kevinmw5]

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So how exactly do doctors get paid if their patient does not have health insurance? I would assume the patient would just pay out of pocket, but what if the patient can't come up with the funds out of pocket? How do doctors get reimbursed in that instance?

Thanks in advance...

 

[longhorn09]

Then that would be considered your lost.

 

[dmblue]

seriously?

0+0=0

they don't get paid

 

[kevinmw5]

I figured that the doctor wouldn't get paid... I was wanting to verify this here...

 

[235009]

not like you can even see a doctor if you don't have insurance

 

[kevinmw5]

not like you can even see a doctor if you don't have insurance

explain...? people go to the ER w/o insurance all the time

 

[Poliscidoc]

At the urgent care I worked at. If they didn't have insurance they paid the visit cost before they could be seen. Then would pay after they were seen for anything the visit cost didn't cover.

But if it was a true emergency I.E. Life or death- the doctor would work on them until the ambulance arrived..

We don't accept Medicare or medicaid

 

[amakhosidlo]

A patient may not have insurance, but that doesn't meant they won't get a bill that they'll have to pay out-of-pocket. That's actually how a few Dr's I know operate: They've given up on dealing with insurance entirely and send patients an invoice to have them hack it out with their insurance company themselves...

 

[Mayday]

Everywhere accepts cash. Some hospitals pay the doctors a salary. Those that don't, you just don't get paid. All of the private doctors that I have gone to won't take you unless you pay up front.

 

[TopSecret]

So how exactly do doctors get paid if their patient does not have health insurance? I would assume the patient would just pay out of pocket, but what if the patient can't come up with the funds out of pocket? How do doctors get reimbursed in that instance?

Thanks in advance...

Cash is always good.

If the patient doesn't pay his bill, then hire a collection agency or write it off.

Many doctors just write it off as bad debt rather than face the wrath of a patient and the damage to the practice's reputation.

 

[235009]

explain...? people go to the ER w/o insurance all the time

the ER and going to a doctor are two different things. yes if you walk into an ER they must treat you and if you can't pay or don't have insurance then the hospital just takes the loss.

A patient may not have insurance, but that doesn't meant they won't get a bill that they'll have to pay out-of-pocket. That's actually how a few Dr's I know operate: They've given up on dealing with insurance entirely and send patients an invoice to have them hack it out with their insurance company themselves...

most doctors, even ones that are salaried by a hospital check your insurance upfront and won't give you an appointment if they aren't certain you can pay your bill somehow. the cash only doctors usually just cater to people who can pay but don't have insurance ....they aren't going to treat people they suspect won't pay.

 

[Poliscidoc]

A few things. Hospitals are a business, some may be non-profit but they use their "profit" and then bam no profit. Cash in= Cash out... Also hospitals do "write off" bills, but they make there money up in other ways. I.E.- $300,000 for a heart surgery, that patient probably just paid for his procedure and 6 other people that don't pay. Also most hospitals have grants and other funds for the poor so they don't have to pay the whole bill. And they most of the time the hospital will try and make out a payment plan..

It's all one big business

 

[panthera]

Cash is always good.

If the patient doesn't pay his bill, then hire a collection agency or write it off.

Many doctors just write it off as bad debt rather than face the wrath of a patient and the damage to the practice's reputation.

Top Secret knows what's up.

The urgent care I worked at would give them so many days to pay off the bill. If the patient didn't pay, depending on the amount it cost would send it to collections or drop it. This also was the case for even patient co-pays...

 

[TopSecret]

Top Secret knows what's up.

The urgent care I worked at would give them so many days to pay off the bill. If the patient didn't pay, depending on the amount it cost would send it to collections or drop it. This also was the case for even patient co-pays...

It's better to accept cash or credit cards whenever possible because you wouldn't have to submit insurance paperwork and wait 3-4 weeks for payment.

 

[guestdoc]

It's better to accept cash or credit cards whenever possible because you wouldn't have to submit insurance paperwork and wait 3-4 weeks for payment.

In the best of cases... Often, a big fat denied could come back, and the doctor has to pay a team of insurance/billing people to try and pin down the insurance company for a bit of green.

So it's much much much better to accept cash or credit/debit cards whenever possible!

 

[TopSecret]

In the best of cases... Often, a big fat denied could come back, and the doctor has to pay a team of insurance/billing people to try and pin down the insurance company for a bit of green.

So it's much much much better to accept cash or credit/debit cards whenever possible!

Agreed.

Also, Medicare rejects 20% of all submitted claims. So the chances of getting paid is about 80% of the time and Medicare usually pays 80% of private insurance fees.

Furthermore, if you overbill Medicare unintentionally, you will have to refund that amount, pay $10,000 per messed up claim and spend some time sitting in jail.