Of course you can be penalized for using insurance.

I remember a story about a man who had an outrageous ambulance bill and he called separately for the self-pay cost and it was much less. But when he tried to self-pay they wouldn't take insurance off the table.

It's not this but similar. I'm not having luck with google.

https://www.facebook.com/foxandfriends/videos/shocking-california-dads-bill-doubles-after-providing-insurance-info-for-daughte/942465904727148/

Of course you use health insurance. Car and house, different story.

Your insurance is atrocious, as you know. Do you have any other alternatives for next plan year?

If you need a lot of health care, an HDHP is a bad choice. Unfortunately it’s hard to know when you will need a lot of health care, but I agree with posters above that it sounds like you may need to consider whether you are headed there.

Where is this that charges $1,100 for an MRI? I just had to pay out of pocket for a breast MRI (insurance pre-authorization hadn’t come through) and it was 4,900 just for the procedure itself plus apparently an additional charge for it to be read.

At this point in the year (December), you are eitherclose to your deductible or not. If possible, schedule the test in January and then, you have the entire year to reach your deductible.

Anonymous wrote:Strategy when to use insurance and when not to?? Do you all do some tests with and some without insurance?

MRI with insurance - $3800
MRI without insurance costs - $1100

What do you all do when it comes to expensive tests like these?

When I look at the estimates for no insurance, if I had not used insurance for all my tests this year I would have saved 2K.

I've never seen a cash pay MRI price that is significantly than the insurance reimbursement. Is the "insurance price" at a tertiary care center and the standalone price at some "imaging center" with fly by night radiologists?

And of course, paying cash that doesn't count towards your deductible is nuts, esp when you have a choice.

What radiology company is it? If its one local to here I think i know what's happening. If you have insurance that test likely isn't $3800. I would go for insurance and get my money back or have them verify your coverage up front.

Usually people don’t get MRIs for kicks and giggles. Is surgery in your future? If would be penny wise and point foolish go pay cash for the MRI and then have to pay $10,000 for your surgery because you have no “credit” towards your deductible.

Anonymous wrote:So you say you are uninsured and hope they don't catch on?

It does not say uninsured - just self pay - I guess you have a choice. I pay self pay upfront with my health benefit card at my non participating provider.

So you say you are uninsured and hope they don't catch on?

Anonymous wrote:Is $3800 your deductible and copay? Is it a high deductible plan?
Is the $1100 the deal they give the uninsured?

4k deductible. So I had to pay the full $3800 for that test.

$1100 is the estimate for uninsured.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand. Are you comparing out of pocket expenses?

Yes. I'm comparing whether it is just better to do self pay for expensive tests versus using insurance and asking what people with high deductibles do?

I have a deductible to meet which is 4000k - and after that I pay 35% coinsurance until the family deductible 10K is reached.

So when I used insurance to pay for an MRI this year, I paid $3800. After a doc visit that took me to $4000, I started paying 35% of whatever the cost of test or my doc visit was. Adding all that up is still 2K more than what I would have paid if I didn't use my insurance card at all for any of that and did self pay the entire year.

For example, a CT scan w/wo contrast is $2000 with insurance - which I have to pay out of pocket until I meet 4K deductible. Without insurance it is $1000.

Is $3800 your deductible and copay? Is it a high deductible plan?
Is the $1100 the deal they give the uninsured?

I don’t understand. Are you comparing out of pocket expenses?

Strategy when to use insurance and when not to?? Do you all do some tests with and some without insurance?

MRI with insurance - $3800
MRI without insurance costs - $1100

What do you all do when it comes to expensive tests like these?

When I look at the estimates for no insurance, if I had not used insurance for all my tests this year I would have saved 2K.