> and assuming that insurance companies negotiate deals on par with medicare
They can't. By law, they can't reimburse less than Medicare does. In reality, they end up pegging their reimbursement rates to multiples of what Medicare pays.
> In fact the opposite is true. If hospitals could get 100% of their patients to pay their bills at medicare rates, they would save money on defaults, billing overhead, and the people who spend hours on the phone fighting with insurance companies.
No, and there are multiple links downthread that disprove that claim.
> But medicare is currently reimbursing at break-even rates,
Medicare does not reimburse at break-even rates, or anything close to that.
They can't. By law, they can't reimburse less than Medicare does. In reality, they end up pegging their reimbursement rates to multiples of what Medicare pays.
> In fact the opposite is true. If hospitals could get 100% of their patients to pay their bills at medicare rates, they would save money on defaults, billing overhead, and the people who spend hours on the phone fighting with insurance companies.
No, and there are multiple links downthread that disprove that claim.
> But medicare is currently reimbursing at break-even rates,
Medicare does not reimburse at break-even rates, or anything close to that.