This Unintended Consequence of Obamacare Could Cost You Big Time

When it comes to the world of health care and health insurance, the rabbit hole is deep and winding. The Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, has certainly gone a long way toward providing more Americans with health care, and the newly insured can rest a bit easier when confronted with catastrophic health care costs, but in the wonderland of health care, it turns out that in certain cases, having insurance can cost you more money, not less. In fact, a lot more money.

Let’s take the case of one patient in California, whose insurance company was charged $408 for five common blood tests, a little more than $80 per test. Her insurance company paid about $140 to the medical center, and the patient was responsible for the rest, about $270. Frustrated at having to pay so much for the tests, the patient called the center and asked why the tests were so expensive. Much to the patient’s surprise, she was told that, had she paid cash, the tests would have been cheaper, an eye-popping $65 per test less. That’s right—with cash, the patient could have paid just $15 per test.
http://www.alternet.org/economy/obamacare-one-weird-consequence-could-either-save-or-cost-you-big-time