Full Show: Why You Shouldn’t Book Round Trip Domestic Airfare Tickets and Amazon Health Revi

[@virginiamoss7045]

I have to disagree with Clark on squeezing all the inefficiencies out of medical practices. It has gotten to where doctors and other medical workers are more concerned about following corporate policies, checking boxes, being cognisant of legal ramifications, and using AI to diagnose rather than listen to the patient fully as an individual, a person not fitting into the typical conclusions. I can tell that my doctors are frustrated with their EPIC programs they are forced to use. Then, of course, there are the insurance companies also telling the doctor how to do their work and what they should do. No wonder so many doctors are leaving the field and many bright young people are steering clear of the field. We all suffer because of it. And then there are all those who can't even afford health care at all. Our system is a mess and technology and efficiencies are not the answer!

[@sblue5094]

My doc told me that anything not related to the normal annual exam would / could require a separate appointment. I took that as extra on the annual exam bill too. And that they are under a time frame per patient, I believe it was 15 minutes. It was never like this before.

[@Clark]

It's good that your doctor is communicating the operational change. Many are not, and patients are getting surprised bills. 💚

[@sarashann]

Listening to the medical insurance questions and replies has reinforced my decision as a US citizen to get a medic alert bracelet that says, "If found down, confused or nonresponsive, don't help me. Leave me by the side of the road to die. I can't afford to get well."

[@Clark]

💔💔💔

[@O2DANZ]

Where can we get one? (Seriously)

[@retired8484]

That's the correct approach.

[@toby7291]

My doctors office is doing the same thing. A family member went for a sports physical that we paid cash for and got a receipt. My wife asked a question and are now being billed $317.. About a month after the visit we received a bill for the $25 we had already paid. Called and they said it was a mistake we didn’t owe anything. Then about 3 1/2 months later we received another bill for the $317. The charges are: $25 we already paid for the sports physical $12.97 pure tone screening ( what ever that is) $25.94 visual screen Quantitative B $253.14 OV Est Pt level III (what ever that is) Talking to these people is like talking to the wall. The last conversation they said they would bill our insurance for the charges.

[@Clark]

Aye yai yai 🥴 Hope they are able to sort this out for you soon. 💚

[@maryc1952]

At my urging, my 30 year old son went to a PCP to establish care and have an annual checkup. His insurance covers preventative services. The Dr. examined him and ordered bloodwork, all standard stuff. He was charged over $300 for the Dr. visit and the lab work. When he called the insurance company, they said he had to ask the Dr. to change the way it was coded. When he called the Dr., he was told that they couldn't change it because this was a first time visit, which makes absolutely no sense. If the Dr. won't change it, what else can he do? He paid the bill, but says he is never going back to that Dr.

[@matrixllc.5950]

Sadly that happens alot. Your son should fight it. The medical scare is fukn scam nowadays. My friend had similar issue.he called every where and got it removed. And posted online. And filled complaints.

[@doreenkelsey8739]

At both my care providers in the US, the office had disclaimers on all the forms, website, and in the office warning that if the patient asks any questions about perceived ailments, the charges will be billed as diagnostic.

[@travels3577]

They do charge for questions during the dr vist if it is annual vist I always said America practice is Rockefeller medicine this is one example of many

[@matrixllc.5950]

Clark. When traveling overseas DOES NOT WORK. As you said.

[@paulgilliland2992]

Even Kaiser physicians don’t look at your medical records before your visit . Nurses still ask the same questions like what meds you take . They simply don’t have time when the brass wants 20 patients or more a day to be seen.

[@ukaserex]

Our health systems in the USA are broken. And they are broken because of the ill-conceived notion of medical insurance. Insurance companies are in business to make money. And, these days, it's very competitive. The insurance companies cannot afford to cover people without these sinister practices.(and still make a profit) I think insurance companies should make a pact to cover an individual for life, not just year to year. Then they'd be sure to assist parents in ensuring kids get proper nutrition and exercise.

[@cynthiaarrowsmith5709]

How does the one medical work with insurance? Or does it?

[@Clark]

They accept all of the major insurance providers for membership services. If you elect to do pay-per-visit, it's self-pay only but is FSA/HSA eligible. 💚

[@johnoshea6419]

re: airline tix...price it both ways....in my market to NYC , one way $164 and RT=$189. So, RT works for me in my market. Takes just a minute to check both ways, one way may work for certain markets. I use google flights price tracking which alerts me to changes automatically thru email ,it's a terrific assistant and saves me on fare expenses

[@Clark]

Great tip, Clarkie! 🙌

[@leannestevens3840]

You blew the preventive physical exam question. This is a Well Visit and per coding guidelines if additional problems are addressed that are "significant, separately identifiable, medically necessary, and reasonable to treat illness, injury, or improve functioning of malformed body part" can be billed in addition to the well visit. The staff should have asked when rooming the patient if he had any new concerns and inforn there would be an office visit charge. The patient can then decide if he wants to discuss these concerns and pay for this extra service or come in another day to discuss these problems. The provider was saving the patient having to make another appointment having to take more time out of his schedule, but the patient should have been informed.

[@EvilGenius007]

While as a healthcare consumer (only) who has run into this situation, IMO "blew [it]" is a bit harsh given they were speaking generally about public perception. Anec-data: A bit over a year ago I was approaching one of those decade ages and ahead of my annual physical I increased (from a low baseline) my exercise. To show it's appreciation, one of my knees self-destructed about 2 weeks before my scheduled appointment. Fortunately I had observed the signs in the exam room during previous year's physicals that indicated any health issues raised during an annual physical would be treated as a separate visit, so I called my provider and changed the nature of my existing appointment and had them book my physical for another few weeks later. Ironically (or paradoxically?), during the annual exam she asked about my knee, possibly as it was an established part of my medical history/known condition (or whatever). So, yeah, the American healthcare system is great, as long as your goal is to overpay for worse outcomes and feel terrible while doing it!

[@Clark]

🦨 #clarkstinks Thanks for your feedback! No one on Team Clark is a medical professional, so we're answering questions based on what seems fair from the average patients' perspective. Historically, asking questions while you were already in the doctor's office did not incur additional coding and charges. If that is standard verbiage at most doctor's offices now, this needs to be communicated to the patients - outside of the 12-page terms and conditions that most people don't read. When someone asks to take a look at a shoulder pain in a routine visit, the doctor or nurse should say, "We'd be happy to take a look at that! Just so you know, it will be an additional charge." This way, patients can decide if they want the doctor to take a look at it or not. 💚

[@donofd9626]

@@Clark in Massachusetts this changed for me about 5 years ago. Any discussion you bring up turns is considered a separate office visit. And charged as such.

[@demar1496]

Recently my doctor's office put up signs saying that any medical questions outside of the scope of the initial visit COULD BE charged separately. That was not the case with annual check-ups in the past. If the point is patient care and prevention, answering a few 30 second casual questions, during an annual update, could save trouble down the road and lead to far better patient outcomes. Treating every question as a billable event is silly, for most health maintenance questions. I wouldn't expect free treatment for a broken ankle at an annual physical, but if I've been a tad sluggish as I age, I wouldn't expect a bill for the doctor to suggest a morning exercise or two. So far, my doctor's office hasn't billed for anything but the physical. But I also now ask, hypothetically, the billing question - if I will get a charge for the category of question, before I actually ask it. If they ever said yes, I wouldn't ask, and I would check out Dr. Google instead. That's where mad billing will lead. And most folks won't be looking for peer-reviewed journal articles from respectable publications, they'll just try crazy internet suggestions.

[@frankb1]

I do one way searches because I like to price it both ways in both dollars and miles.

[@DamionLouisInPortugal]

Do you have to have a primary medical insurance plan?

[@Clark]

No, you don't need insurance. You can opt for self-pay. In fact, if you're using pay-per-visit, they don't accept insurance for this service (membership visits can be billed to insurance). Pay-per-visit is FSA/HSA eligible. 💚

[@Anthony-zw1qb]

Be careful what site you buy your tickets from! Scammers are everywhere

[@Clark]

💯💯💯

[@moose354]

Clark, you left out another MAJOR reason for not buying round-trip tickets. Airlines apply a methodology called "married segment logic". How this affects you is that if you buy a round trip ticket let's say from point A to point B and from point B back to point A. Now, one of the legs is now cheaper so you call the airline and say that you want the difference back. They say "wait just a minute cowboy, not so fast.". Before we can refund the difference we have to REPRICE the entire trip first. This will likely reprice your round trip ticket higher negating any savings from the one leg that is now lower in price. When you price a round trip itinerary, the airline is pricing two one-way fares to begin with. "w

[@Mr_New_Vegas_685]

Welcome back!!

[@GunnyPhillips]

I wish I were allowed to "interpret" Federal regulations.

[@emc6511]

Just did annual wellness DR appt - 3rd yr this DR. What was new -- 2pg form to sign before the appt - spelling out what was wellness visit. My guess, the goal to stop wasting everyone's time when the billing hits & the angry calls begin for an explanation and to dispute the charges. For me previous 2 years had to call DR office for recoding so that insurance would reverse the charge. For me it was 100% wellness. As I say to them: just here for the gatekeeper to provide order fo annual screening blood lab. My gripe -- why insurance requires DR order vs just go directly to the lab. If lab result shows something out of range, then makes sense to have a DR appt.

[@Clark]

One of our Clarkies told us about a company called Own Your Labs. It's a website where consumers can order labs directly, without a doctor's order. Team Clark has not checked it out yet, but it may be something you'd want to look into. 💚 ownyourlabs.com/

[@amzarnacht6710]

'no surprises' act is a sham. EVERY time I visit a clinic I'm always getting additional bills as far out as six months. OFC I don't bother with them, they go straight into the trash.

[@Clark]

The No Surprises Act doesn't mean that you won't get a bill at all. It means that you won't get a bill with an astronomical out-of-network charge. You'll always be charged in-network fees. 💚

[@girlrutherford]

You go to a preventative medical visit and the doctor says "I see your number for [chronic condition such as hypertension or diabetes] has changed and so we'll adjust your medication, an additional "code" is added and there is an additional charge because this is now diagnostic. Legitimate or not?

[@Clark]

Unfortunately, legitimate, but we don't like it. Seems like this is the standard way doctors are conducting business now. 💚

[@chrisforker7487]

I guess skip lagging is still out?

[@charlessommers7218]

Great show 😊

[@michael_horsley]

👍. 7:54 some non-verbal communication. Touchy subject. Thanks for everything.

[@jbeav3902]

Don't buy anything.

[@Clark]

🤦‍♂

[@janereinhardt4715]

I flew from LAX to Tampa FL round trip in mid October for $227.00!

[@Clark]

What a steal! 🙌

[@johnurban7333]

Was that with 2 different airlines

[@DamionLouisInPortugal]

Can you use one medical overseas?

[@e-care-books9867]

#BonusTerm - #WelcomeBack Team Clark. Glad you're back, enjoying the show. #TeamClarkRocks

[@Clark]

💚 #bonusterm

[@bobkenyon5017]

I do not know how many people know Medicare does not cover an annual physical exam. They do cover an annual Medicare wellness visit which is not the same thing as a physical.

[@Clark]

💯 Many people don't know this.

[@johnurban7333]

You’re right. It’s too talk you into going to a doctor after the wellness visit

[@whogirl104]

As a physician I will let you know that a physical exam is for preventative screening. Any specific concerns that are not preventative screening are considered a “problem visit.” Aka “hey doc, I have this problem I would like you to fix.” If you are getting a physical you don’t pay for the preventative part of the evaluation that day. You do pay for the chronic/acute problem you want us to assess. We commonly tell people that if you have a problem you want addressed you will pay for it. I’ve worked in places where it is on a sign at the desk or a document you sign acknowledging this. That applies to all insurance across the board. If you have insurance that doesn’t require you to pay for problem visits (ie., Medicaid) you probably never noticed the doctors office was billing the insurance company the whole time for that. For the woman with the bone density scan bill. She should address that with the radiologist or owner of the bone density scan 95% of the time her primary care doctor does not own the machine and does NONE of the billing for tests. All handled by a third party. Contact the radiologist or hospital first. Then call your doctor.

[@daves5445]

Very useful information in todays healthcare world. Thanks!

[@Clark]

Thanks for sharing your medical expert knowledge! 💚

[@maverickspirit208]

Can you help me with this question please: If I don't take any routine meds, I'm not sure what the point is of having an annual physical. I can check my weight, temp, B/P at home by myself, and that's about all that is done these days for an annual physical, if I can't ask what a new minor acute problem is, I'm not sure what the point of the annual is other than to have my doctor review blood results, and I don't need an office visit for this process.

[@whogirl104]

@ I will not give specific medical advise. But, I will answer your question generically. Depending on your age you may be due for certain cancer screening (ie colon, prostate). You may be due for certain vaccines based on age. Or other lab testing to ensure you are still healthy ( cholesterol, diabetes, etc). I still recommend patients come for a physical once per year. Every day I have the unfortunate task of diagnosing someone with a surprise new condition like high cholesterol or diabetes. That evaluation should be free with insurance. You can still see your doctor for acute concerns. It’s just not typically covered 100% by insurance.

[@jstephens2758]

In our area. free or very low cost online medical visits are provided within health insurance policies.

[@marietaylor5174]

Thank you Team Clark.

[@matrixllc.5950]

Bot, bot everyone.

[@johnurban7333]

I go right to the airline calendar and pick the price I want going there and back. I’ll try picking from different airlines doing one way each to see if I can get a cheaper flight

[@jeffrummell2348]

Lets see. On the doctor charging extra to check out something that you have asked for. Lets say you take your car in for a oil change, that is free, since you purchased a new car. And you tell them it is making a noise. They do the oil change and tell you your ball joint is going out. You say, I don't want that repaired at this point. They then charge you $99.00 for checking out your car and give you the oil change for free. Shouldn't both get paid for their service? You know you are paying the dealer ship, as you asked them to check out the car. The doctor should get paid also. I'm 60 and work in a factory. But, people need to get paid

[@Clark]

Great analogy! 🙌 Although, the mechanic will disclose the $99 diagnostic fee up-front. The problem with doctor visits seems to be that historically doctors did not nickel and dime their patients for questions, if they are already in the office. Maybe it had to do with doctors and patients actually having long-term relationships, which is generally a thing of the past. This fairly new mode of operation should be communicated to patients. "If I check your shoulder, it will incur an additional charge." This way, patients can decide what/if they bring up ailments in their visit. We don't like surprised bills in the mail post visit. Even restaurants disclose if you ask for extra sauce, "That will be $1 extra; is that ok?"💚

[@kknight8112]

As I understand the dealer will always do a free check to look for items to sell you. You can refuse and never be charged.

[@Crazyferretlady-in5sd]

I posted a comment last week but I forgot everything was just reruns, so I want to post it again in hopes of finding out why, a Costco opened up near me a couple of months ago and we joined (partly because I wanted to taste the cinnamon rolls I hear Clark rave about), I ask about them every time we go but nobody in the bakery knows nothing about them, maybe it only in some stores 🤷‍♀️ 🫤

[@Clark]

Costco switches out their bakery items a few times per year, so it's not always available. You sorta have to catch them. It's weird that the bakery employees didn't know what you were talking about, but maybe because it's a new store with new employees. 🤷‍♂ Good news! Yesterday, someone on Reddit posted a sighting and picture of the cinnamon rolls being back in stores for the holiday season. Go ASAP to see if they are at your store. If not, keep checking back throughout the holiday season. If they are at other stores, they should be heading your way soon. 🤞 Good luck! Let us know if you finally get one. 💚