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From: jwb@mcnc.UUCP (Jack W. Buchanan Jr.)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: insurance and doctors fees
Message-ID: <2126@mcnc.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 26-Jun-84 15:46:03 EDT
Article-I.D.: mcnc.2126
Posted: Tue Jun 26 15:46:03 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 30-Jun-84 02:15:30 EDT
References: <2121@mcnc.UUCP>, <869@houxz.UUCP>
Organization: Microelectronics Ctr. of NC; RTP, NC
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It may be a semantic argument.  I left out that doctors typically accept
"assignment" of fees, particularly medicare.  This means they will accept
whatever medicare will pay and will not bill the patient an additional
amount.  There are built in (to the law) advantages for doing this, and
the patient knows his insurance will cover his bill.  By doing this the
doctor is *de facto* saying he will accept the 80% as full payment.  I   
submit this is fundamentally different from collecting whatever the insurance
will pay and billing the patient for the rest.