doctors

Has the insurance company had a bad day with the subprime mortgage bonds in its investment portfolio, and this quarter's earnings are at risk?

Well, that's easy enough to deal with. Guess what, doc: where we used to pay 80% for code 69405, Eustachian-tube catheterization, now we'll only pay 50%. The patient now has to pay the rest; if he can't, the doctor or clinic eats the remainder. If the company's balance sheet still looks grim, it may be decided that from now on, lots more 96921s - laser treatment of inflammatory skin disease between 250 and 500 square centimeters - are going to be classified as "not medically necessary", no matter what the patient's doctor thinks.

Asia Times