An insight

I was going to put a couple of posts on here last night, but instead I wound up spending a few hours in the ER. Not to worry, it turned out to be nothing. In fact, I left without seeing a doctor. Which gave me an insight into one small corner of our healthcare "system." When I asked about satisfying my co-pay, the nurse replied that there was none, because I hadn't seen a doctor. I did, however, get the services of a number of hospital employees, blood work and an EKG. But because I didn't see a doctor I, at least, face no charge. (Presumably my insurer will be billed.)

Does that seem as illogical to you as it does to me?

On a related note, CBS News had an enlightening story on the prevalence of hospital billing errors, which, as one billing advocate noted, always seem to be made in favor of the hospital. The scale of the errors reported--anecdotes only, let's note--makes me wonder how much of our bloated healthcare spending goes out in overpayments.