{"id":2343,"date":"2024-01-26T01:40:27","date_gmt":"2024-01-26T01:40:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthynewsusa.com\/?p=2343"},"modified":"2024-01-26T01:40:31","modified_gmt":"2024-01-26T01:40:31","slug":"the-colonoscopies-were-free-but-the-surgical-trays-came-with-600-price-tags","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthynewsusa.com\/?p=2343","title":{"rendered":"The Colonoscopies Were Free. But the \u2018Surgical Trays\u2019 Came With $600 Price Tags."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Chantal Panozzo and her husband followed their primary care doctors\u2019 orders last year after they both turned 45, now the recommended age to start screening for colorectal cancer. They scheduled their first routine colonoscopies a few months apart.<\/p>\n

Panozzo said she was excited to get a colonoscopy, of all things, because it meant free care. The couple run a business out of their suburban home near Chicago and purchase coverage costing more than $1,400 each month for their family of four on the exchange, which was created by the Affordable Care Act.<\/p>\n

By law, preventive services \u2014 including routine colonoscopies \u2014 are available at zero cost to patients. So Panozzo said she expected their screenings would be fully covered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was our chance to get our free preventative care,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Their results came back normal, she said.<\/p>\n

Then the bills came.<\/p>\n

The Patients:<\/strong> Chantal Panozzo, who uses her maiden name professionally, now 46, and Brian Opyd, 45, are covered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois.<\/p>\n

Medical Services:<\/strong> Two routine colonoscopies (one for him, one for her), as recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force for patients beginning at age 45.<\/p>\n

Service Provider:<\/strong> Illinois Gastroenterology Group in Hinsdale. The practice is part of the private equity-backed GI Alliance, which has more than 800 gastroenterologists working in 15 states, including Florida, Missouri, and Texas.<\/p>\n

Total Bill:<\/strong> For each colonoscopy, the gastroenterology group charged $2,034 before any insurance discounts or reductions. After discounts, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois said it was responsible for paying $395.18 for Brian\u2019s screening and $389.24 for Chantal\u2019s.<\/p>\n

But apart from the screening costs, the total included a $600 charge for each patient \u2014 though insurance documents did not identify what the charge was for. This left Chantal and Brian each with a $250 bill, the amount allowed by BCBS of Illinois, which was applied to their deductibles.<\/p>\n

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