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Are you lost in the health insurance game? In the 13^th episode of Healthcareonomics, Ashley Berges joined the radio show to discuss the health insurance game. In addition to hosting the syndicated radio talk “Perspectives with Ashley Berges,” Ashley is a certified life coach and family therapist.

Similar to the Colleyville Medical Clinic, Ashley does not take health insurance. How does accepting health insurance hurt a doctor and the patient?

“I think you kind of get devalued…when you’re only looking at the network, when you’re only focusing on who I can actually see, not actually who’s the best for me. Then I also think sometimes we think, oh, okay, it’s covered by insurance but you don’t really realize when you pull back, I guess it’s almost like the Wizard of Oz. When you pull back the screen, and you realize that you still owe this money because they call you or they send you an invoice and say, you still owe us $125 for the office visit, and you’re thinking, I already paid my $20 [copay] when I was there. The copays, the deductibles, the this and that. You get lost in the shuffle. Again, that’s another reason why I think people get lost in the insurance game is they don’t realize how high their deductible is versus really what they need to meet to even get benefits.”

Is it an incentive for patients to go to a doctor that does not take health insurance?

“I do think to a degree it is an incentive. I think a lot of times now most … I think the highest percentage of therapists aren’t taking insurance. You’re right in that instance that it’s almost like you have to want it. I mean, to actually go to the next level, and I see…there’s a dichotomy of clients that I see. The ones that you see that never…they’ve never been and so this is…they’re actually doing something big to step out and try to better themselves, and then that also is a slippery slope, because you understand when you have a breakthrough with these types of clients, they get scared off because there’s a part of them in their body that doesn’t necessarily want to change their patterns and doesn’t necessarily want to get well.”

For Ashley’s complete answers to those questions, be sure to listen to the podcast. Additional topics discussed were Obamacare, health insurance as the exception and not the rule, the costs of healthcare, why are healthcare charges so much and mush more. Listen to the podcast about the health insurance game.

How can you find your way through the health insurance game? Check out this video on The Wacasey Equation.

Intrigued about the Colleyville Medical Clinic? Watch this video.

The post Lost in the Health Insurance Game appeared first on Healthcareonomics.