I think this is satire?
Readit Newsmaxverse commented on High medical bill in the ER leaves family reeling npr.org/sections/health-s... · Posted by u/grammarnazzzi
maxverse commented on High medical bill in the ER leaves family reeling npr.org/sections/health-s... · Posted by u/grammarnazzzi
maxverse commented on High medical bill in the ER leaves family reeling npr.org/sections/health-s... · Posted by u/grammarnazzzi
NPR has a series of these "Bill of the Month"[1] articles about surprise medical billing, and I am not exaggerating when I say they are the single most depressing, scary, disheartening thing I read on the internet.
The patients in these stories seem well-intentioned and well-prepared. They double check that their doctors are in-network. They triple-check what charges they should expect. But there's always a gotcha. There's always some hidden, between-the-lines reason hospitals come up with to charge you, and insurance won't cover. In one story, the surgeon invited an out-of-network surgical assistant into the surgery, without notice. In another [2], the labor and delivery department was classified as an ER, for a completely routine delivery.
When these charges are dismissed, it's always because NPR reached out for comment, and the hospital backs down, presumably because of the bad PR.
The unpredictably and seemingly arbitrary nature of medical charges makes me feel... queasy. And scared to seek medical help, which I know is what insurance companies want. Even with great insurance, which I'm lucky to have, it feels like there's nothing I can do to prevent medium-to-insane charges. The only way I can think of to try and combat medical billing is to retain a lawyer.
[1] https://www.npr.org/series/651784144/bill-of-the-month
[2] https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/07/22/8919096...
[3] https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/10/27/1049138...
Emphasizing this from the article:
> Martand received almost no medical service. A nurse practitioner looked over the toddler, listened to his heart and stomach, and looked in his nose, mouth and ears, according to provider notes prepared by the hospital and shared with KHN by Bhatt.
> The nurse didn't change the dressing on the wound or order any testing.
> Emergency visits are usually classified for billing on a scale from 1 to 5. Level 1 is minor and routine; Level 5 requires complex care for life-threatening conditions. [...] Despite the lack of severity of Martand's wound and the absence of medical care, his visit was classified as Level 3, a moderate severity problem.
> In an email, Zoller Mueller said the charges were "appropriate" based on the "acuity of condition, discharge instructions, vital sign monitoring, traumatic wound care [and] numerous assessments."
> She added: "A patient does not have to receive additional treatment — procedure, labs, x-rays, etc. — to validate an ED [emergency department] level charge."
maxverse commented on High medical bill in the ER leaves family reeling npr.org/sections/health-s... · Posted by u/grammarnazzzi
NPR has a series of these "Bill of the Month"[1] articles about surprise medical billing, and I am not exaggerating when I say they are the single most depressing, scary, disheartening thing I read on the internet.
The patients in these stories seem well-intentioned and well-prepared. They double check that their doctors are in-network. They triple-check what charges they should expect. But there's always a gotcha. There's always some hidden, between-the-lines reason hospitals come up with to charge you, and insurance won't cover. In one story, the surgeon invited an out-of-network surgical assistant into the surgery, without notice. In another [2], the labor and delivery department was classified as an ER, for a completely routine delivery.
When these charges are dismissed, it's always because NPR reached out for comment, and the hospital backs down, presumably because of the bad PR.
The unpredictably and seemingly arbitrary nature of medical charges makes me feel... queasy. And scared to seek medical help, which I know is what insurance companies want. Even with great insurance, which I'm lucky to have, it feels like there's nothing I can do to prevent medium-to-insane charges. The only way I can think of to try and combat medical billing is to retain a lawyer.
[1] https://www.npr.org/series/651784144/bill-of-the-month
[2] https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/07/22/8919096...
[3] https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/10/27/1049138...
maximp commented on Large Eruption Near Tonga, Heard in NZ. Tsunami at Tonga and Fiji earthquake.usgs.gov/earth... · Posted by u/ggm
Can't report but someone who can should - video is unrelated to thread.
This makes it much easier to get to profitability[0] and never raise again after YC (especially as a SaaS). I wonder how this will impact the decision to raise money after YC.
0 - Including paying the founders a reasonable salary
I'm also confused about how this works. If you choose to never raise after YC, is the remaining $375K just part of of the 7% they take upfront, or is it only available if you raise?
> Simply put, we’re giving the company money now but at terms you’ll negotiate with future investors.
If you've scrolled through tweet-sized brilliant insights and forgot them the next minute then maybe they weren't that brilliant to begin with? Or maybe you have a habit of mindlessly scrolling which you need to get out of. In any case, I find it hard to believe that people would prefer to read 200 pages which could be condensed down to a single sentence.
I think it comes down to individual learning style. Here [1] is James Clear tweeting a 3-sentence summary of his book. These ideas totally impacted the way I operate and helped me achieve a lot more than I would have on my own. But I needed to read the book to implement these tactics. If I only read the tweet, I don't think it would have had any long-term impact on me.
I agree that being wordy can be a waste of time! And I agree that many business books blow up small ideas into large books. I also think that sometimes expanding on an impactful insight can help you teach it better.
[1] https://twitter.com/JamesClear/status/1477686252333903877
Somewhat related but I find many nonfiction books could easily be condensed down an immense amount (talking 20 to 50% here). I don't know if it's me getting older or simply not wanting to put up with filler content anymore.
A book that does this terribly is the "The Checklist Manifesto." ~250 pages of filler when the original article was 20 pages, the exact same information but distilled down to its essence:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/12/10/the-checklist
I haven't read Atomic Habits, but I did get the audio book but after reading this summary (which is very good, and much appreciated) I probably won't give it a listen.
I'm curious if people feel the same way about other books?
Different people learn differently, maybe? The great truths in life boil down to a few sentences (ex: "just do it"). If someone writes a book about that truth, are they wasting your time? Maybe. But there are other people who need to hear the story to learn from that grain of truth.
I've definitely read books that were way too long and full of filler content. But I've also scrolled through tweet-sized brilliant insights that I forgot the next minute.
In my opinion, Atomic Habits was not a filler book (I also listened to it on audiobook), but as always, YMMV.
maximp commented on Ask HN: What kind of online tools are you using, missing or can be improved? · Posted by u/s-xyz
I use mint.com to consolidate all my financial details. But it is so buggy. Every time I access it seems to generate all stats from scratch, which means that it has no idea about accounts I have closed, renamed, moved etc.
I think there are at least half a dozen Mint competitors whose primary selling point is "better UX than Mint".
I'm getting a bit tired of these anti-US healthcare posts day after day. Sure, there are some issues, but this is starting to feel like reformist propaganda. I, for one, am very happy with the current system and don't understand why anti-government activists want to hand the government the keys to run the healthcare system.
The ER visit ultimately cost $38.92, after:
1. He tried to negotiate the bill: "Dhaval Bhatt made numerous attempts to get the hospital to reduce the charges. He also appealed to UnitedHealthcare to review the charges."
2. The hospital refused: "His efforts failed....the hospital would not adjust the bill."
3. The hospital sent his bill to collections: "While Bhatt was trying to reach the patient advocate by phone, his bill was sent to Medicredit, a collection agency, which began sending him notices and calling him."
4. The hospital forgave the bill due to bad PR: "After KHN [Kaiser Health News] contacted SSM Health, Bhatt received a call from someone who worked on "patient financial experience" issues at the hospital. The hospital agreed to forgive the $820 facility fee."
> The system worked out exactly as it should have.
Could you clarify?