Reviews
Never Pay the First Bill: And Other Ways to Fight the Health Care System and Win by Marshall Allen
mattmatt3409's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 out of 5
I picked up this book because I was doing a reading challenge and one of the categories was to read a book where I would learn something. I did a Google search and this book popped out at me because I use health insurance along with countless others. Also like many others it looks like we have been taken advantage of by the same people that are supposed to care for us. This book was interesting to me because it points out what the healthcare industry does to exploit us as consumers and take our money as well as provide steps that the consumer could take to fight these exorbitant prices. Along with the steps he shares stories of how these steps worked in real life situations. Very informative.
I picked up this book because I was doing a reading challenge and one of the categories was to read a book where I would learn something. I did a Google search and this book popped out at me because I use health insurance along with countless others. Also like many others it looks like we have been taken advantage of by the same people that are supposed to care for us. This book was interesting to me because it points out what the healthcare industry does to exploit us as consumers and take our money as well as provide steps that the consumer could take to fight these exorbitant prices. Along with the steps he shares stories of how these steps worked in real life situations. Very informative.
jcstokes95's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
3.5
I picked this book up because the title is something my mother said to me, entirely verbatim, when I called her panicking over a 900 dollar doctor’s bill. 900 dollars is nearly a whole paycheck for me, and I was freaking out. Her advice was essentially, once you give them your money, you have very little recourse for the mistakes they made. What happened with that bill was identical to the first story Allen tells in this book; despite my notifying them of a change in insurance, they hadn’t billed my insurer and passed the cost on to me. A horrifyingly common error, that many people might not even question.
Marshall Allen tells stories that will be undoubtedly familiar to any person reading this book. The insurance industry or a medical provider has probably screwed you over and you probably felt powerless because of it. Allen challenges us to see these organizations for the bullies they are and gives a practical guide to how to fight back. This book will be particularly valuable for young people who are overwhelmed by making and paying for their medical decisions. Or for people needing the references to specific conundrums. I could see myself pulling this book from the library again when in crisis. It's exceedingly practical to have on hand.
My only notes are that it can be fairly dry…but it is a book about insurance policy. It’s spiced up by the personal stories throughout, that will definitely get you riled enough to fight back. There are a few places where it can be repetitive, which is why I could see it being used as a reference easily. One thing to appreciate here, is that Allen has a whole section dedicated to employers. I wish I could make every HR department read that section. On this issue, great progress could be made if employees and employers realized they’re on the same team, you know, the team that’s getting fleeced by billionaires perpetuating fraud.
Marshall Allen tells stories that will be undoubtedly familiar to any person reading this book. The insurance industry or a medical provider has probably screwed you over and you probably felt powerless because of it. Allen challenges us to see these organizations for the bullies they are and gives a practical guide to how to fight back. This book will be particularly valuable for young people who are overwhelmed by making and paying for their medical decisions. Or for people needing the references to specific conundrums. I could see myself pulling this book from the library again when in crisis. It's exceedingly practical to have on hand.
My only notes are that it can be fairly dry…but it is a book about insurance policy. It’s spiced up by the personal stories throughout, that will definitely get you riled enough to fight back. There are a few places where it can be repetitive, which is why I could see it being used as a reference easily. One thing to appreciate here, is that Allen has a whole section dedicated to employers. I wish I could make every HR department read that section. On this issue, great progress could be made if employees and employers realized they’re on the same team, you know, the team that’s getting fleeced by billionaires perpetuating fraud.
thayerbowen's review
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
3.75
Informative is right. Probably the sort of book for if you have high medical bills or to have on hand in case you do.
alphabetzel's review
5.0
Solid, practical advice for how to not get financially screwed over by the healthcare industry. Wish this book had been available back when I was dealing with my younger daughter’s crazy medical bills.
ddrake's review
3.0
I skimmed through this, because (1) I am one of those fantastically lucky and rare Americans with very good health insurance and who has had generally good experiences with the health care system, and (2) I've read a lot of similar books, which I recommend, including [b:An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back|31253737|An American Sickness How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back|Elisabeth Rosenthal|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1474748641l/31253737._SY75_.jpg|51910639] and [b:The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care--and How to Fix It|42373033|The Price We Pay What Broke American Health Care--and How to Fix It|Marty Makary|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1541327050l/42373033._SY75_.jpg|66030241] (and other books by [a:Marty Makary|5786795|Marty Makary|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1348665517p2/5786795.jpg]).
What sets this book apart is that it is a very good, concrete how-to manual.
This book did prompt the following thought experiment: Allen documents how the health care system is often either indifferent or overtly hostile to patients. You get a bill that's totally incorrect? Oh well, the hospital billing person says, that happens. Or the hospital or insurance company threatens a patient who is disputing a bill.
Let's think incentives. Why do people in the health care system act like this? It's because their incentive is to maximize revenue for the hospital, insurance company, pharmacy benefits manager, or so on. Their first duty is to the revenue and profitability of their little piece of the health care system. Helping a patient with a bill doesn't always fulfill that duty.
What would happen if the system was the other way around? What would happen if you had a health care system that actually, truly focused on patients and their financial interests?
The typical wisdom is that you'd go broke. You -- a hospital, clinic, etc -- need to pay those doctors and nurses and buy the medical supplies and so on. So you gotta pay attention to your revenue. But how far could we push against that? I don't have any good answers, and surely the American health care system isn't going to go anywhere in that direction, but I do wonder.
Allen documents
What sets this book apart is that it is a very good, concrete how-to manual.
This book did prompt the following thought experiment: Allen documents how the health care system is often either indifferent or overtly hostile to patients. You get a bill that's totally incorrect? Oh well, the hospital billing person says, that happens. Or the hospital or insurance company threatens a patient who is disputing a bill.
Let's think incentives. Why do people in the health care system act like this? It's because their incentive is to maximize revenue for the hospital, insurance company, pharmacy benefits manager, or so on. Their first duty is to the revenue and profitability of their little piece of the health care system. Helping a patient with a bill doesn't always fulfill that duty.
What would happen if the system was the other way around? What would happen if you had a health care system that actually, truly focused on patients and their financial interests?
The typical wisdom is that you'd go broke. You -- a hospital, clinic, etc -- need to pay those doctors and nurses and buy the medical supplies and so on. So you gotta pay attention to your revenue. But how far could we push against that? I don't have any good answers, and surely the American health care system isn't going to go anywhere in that direction, but I do wonder.
Allen documents
melissarochelle's review
4.0
Do you hate the ugly beast that is American Healthcare? I do! Marshall Allen delivers excellent tips to help you save money when it comes to your own health.
holybell0's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Informative book written with the patient/payer in mind with very actionable steps to getting the most out of your health plan for reasonable prices.