Even docs may put off their own care when facing high deductibles
A big emergency room bill can make patients avoid what may be a necessary visit—even if that a patient is a physician himself.
The Washington Post reported on the strange circumstance of Ashish Jha, MD, MPH, director of Harvard’s Global Health Institute and a practicing general internist at the VA. Jha was experiencing symptoms of tachycardia, which he readily admitted he’d tell a patient to go to the emergency room to get checked out.
But because of the $6,000 deductible on his health plan, he didn’t.
“I should have gone to the hospital,”Jha said. “I knew there was a big bill waiting for me if I did, and I rolled the dice.”
For more on how his experience mirrors that of a growing number of patients—and why he chose such a high deductible plan in the first place—read the full article below:
John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.