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The power of MyBCS! Everybody pat yourself on the back.

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Did Scott & White release a statement about how their latest course of action was in response to discussions on an obscure local message board? I don't recall seeing that memo...

You missed the winkie Flyrod.

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Did Scott & White release a statement about how their latest course of action was in response to discussions on an obscure local message board? I don't recall seeing that memo...

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You also didn't see the winkie.

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Scott & White Health administrators have reversed course on a controversial fee hike that proved controversial with patients and Texas A&M University System officials. In a Wednesday statement to The Eagle, administrators for the hospital system's College Station region announced their intention to not only discontinue charging facility fees for patrons with commercial insurance, but to retroactively remove the fees from some patients' bills.

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The reference to Texas A&M is confusing. Was the facility fee only ever applied to patients w/ insurance through TAMU? I'm not affiliated w/ TAMU, have gone to Scott & White, and haven't seen a facility fee charge (yet). I think others on here have reported not being charged the fee. I'm just confused if S&W charged the fee to all privately insured (non-Medicaid/Medicare) patients or just those w/ TAMU-provided insurance.

At any rate, glad to hear it's going away.

Edit to add: I had the same reaction to "controversial" as you, 02.

[This message has been edited by bossycowcow (edited 3/6/2014 11:07a).]

The fact is that tamu is self insured and choose to pass on those costs to their employees. Several other insurers choose to cover those fess, rather than pass them along based on my understanding talking to our hr department. I never paid any additional fee since the opening of the new hospital, despite having care at both the old and new places, including a procedure.

Seems like they choose not to fight the problem with tamu by fighting fire with fire, but rather just giving in to customer complaints. Good for the consumer, but maybe some misplaced anger toward the provider rather than realizing it really was the employer that was not covering those costs. Kind of like when tamu choose not to allow s&w to provide insurance to their employees because they came in with a very inexpensive product that tamu was afraid was going to select out the healthiest individuals and be stuck with higher costs for those individuals that chose to want a larger network. Not too fair to those that could have financially benefited from the lower costs from having that option available.

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The fact is that tamu is self insured and choose to pass on those costs to their employees.

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A&M vehicles are self insured. Employees are on BCBS.

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Kind of like when tamu choose not to allow s&w to provide insurance to their employees because they came in with a very inexpensive product that tamu was afraid was going to select out the healthiest individuals and be stuck with higher costs for those individuals that chose to want a larger network.

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S&W wanted to put St Joe's out of business and was going to force all TAMU staff on S&W's plan to come to the new hospital. A&M dropped scott and white and put everyone on BCBS, where there were more choices of service providers. S&W retaliated by charging everyone a BS outpatient fee. S&W is getting what it deserves.

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At any rate, glad to hear it's going away.

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It appears, at least from comments on the Eagle article, that the controversial fees tacked on for tests and procedures might not be going away...so doing away with the facility fee, while a good step, might not be enough to stem the loss of patients to other providers.

Good for A&M. It was a phoney baloney fee. A&M was correct to not pay it. They called S&W's bluff.

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The fact is that tamu is self insured and choose to pass on those costs to their employees.
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A&M vehicles are self insured. Employees are on BCBS.

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unless I've been lied to, you are incorrect. BCBS manages the fund, but TAMU actually is self funded and insured for their health. If I'm wrong, then I apologize, but I don't think I am.

You aren't wrong, realist. BCBS simply "manages" the plan so to speak, but it's self funded through A&M via its employees.

So, as I was informed. Thanks for confirmation.

As a state taxpayer, I'm all for TAMU in cutting costs rather than increasing taxes or tuition.

I think it funny that the masses just assume that this is all Scott & White's issue. As I was told, other insurers - even BCBS - were covering this cost rather than passing it on to the insured. Of course, that increases the cost to the the employer in raised premiums. It isn't like the contracts were rewritten for this fee. This has been a part of their contracts with insurers for years (I think the article said 2000), but it is just now that there is a hospital in town, the fee is showing up. This is a fee that is not uncommon among large systems apparently. It seems that TAMU didn't read the contract that it signed with S&W to "protect" its employees. Nor did they want to eat the cost like other groups have.

This appears to really be a two sided sword. I would have really complained to my HR folks if I was at TAMU, AFTER fully educating myself. In the end, changing providers is always an option and the way all business should be handled if you are unhappy about the price or the service you receive at any business. But, in this instance, let's not pretend that A&M didn't have a fairly large part in this.

I wonder what TAMU will do with the cost of insurance this year. They will not want to pay the extra charge.

could anyone tell me if Scott and White is currently billing this facility fee (for say a visit to a specialist) to those with BCBS insurance? thanks

As I understand it, no insurance is immune to this charge

I think it depends more on the plan than the company. I have BCBS and have never seen the fee, but I think others have.

The facility fee is generated by procedures and or services that are done at the hospital. For example, any labs, or xrays etc that are done at the hospital are subject to the facility fee. Just seeing a specialist should not generate this fee. If you see a dermatologist, and say, have a lesion removed, and the lesion is sent to the hospital lab for processing, you could be charged a facility fee.

TAMU coworker had an ultrasound at S&W and received a hefty facility fee on his bill. ~$300

Are these types of charges still occurring for others?

If you want to shop your health plan send me an email jse88 @ yahoo.com. I can get you a quote for a PPO network plan

Yes dubi, the charge does happen and will continue to happen because of their hospital. My daughter had a tube put in her ear in the doc's office and was also charged a facility fee.