New ask Hacker News story: Ask HN: New to US, puzzled why tech hasn't simplified health insurance
Ask HN: New to US, puzzled why tech hasn't simplified health insurance
6 by ecstaticpirate | 9 comments on Hacker News.
Hey HN, I recently moved to the US from Europe for a software engineering job, and I'm completely lost when it comes to dealing with health insurance here. Back home, most of this stuff was pretty straightforward, but here? It feels like I've stepped back in time. Last week, I had to call my insurance company about coverage for a routine check-up. I was on hold forever, got transferred twice, and ended up more confused than when I started. It got me thinking - in 2024, why am I still doing this over the phone? As a software engineer, I can't help but wonder why tech hasn't solved this yet. We've got AI writing code and solving complex problems, but we can't figure out how to automate an insurance call? It doesn't make sense to me. I'm really curious about a few things: a. Is there a technical reason why so much insurance stuff has to be done over the phone? I keep hoping to find an app or website that can handle all this, but no luck so far. b. Why is it so hard to get a straight answer on how much a doctor's visit will cost? In most industries, you know the price upfront. Here, it feels like a guessing game. c. Are there regulatory challenges that make this all so complicated? I'm wondering if there are laws or compliance issues that make it hard to simplify things. I'm genuinely curious to understand why these problems exist and why they haven't been solved yet. It feels like there's a huge opportunity here, but maybe I'm missing something obvious. If anyone has insights into why the US health insurance system works this way, or thoughts on how it could be improved with technology, I'd love to hear them.
6 by ecstaticpirate | 9 comments on Hacker News.
Hey HN, I recently moved to the US from Europe for a software engineering job, and I'm completely lost when it comes to dealing with health insurance here. Back home, most of this stuff was pretty straightforward, but here? It feels like I've stepped back in time. Last week, I had to call my insurance company about coverage for a routine check-up. I was on hold forever, got transferred twice, and ended up more confused than when I started. It got me thinking - in 2024, why am I still doing this over the phone? As a software engineer, I can't help but wonder why tech hasn't solved this yet. We've got AI writing code and solving complex problems, but we can't figure out how to automate an insurance call? It doesn't make sense to me. I'm really curious about a few things: a. Is there a technical reason why so much insurance stuff has to be done over the phone? I keep hoping to find an app or website that can handle all this, but no luck so far. b. Why is it so hard to get a straight answer on how much a doctor's visit will cost? In most industries, you know the price upfront. Here, it feels like a guessing game. c. Are there regulatory challenges that make this all so complicated? I'm wondering if there are laws or compliance issues that make it hard to simplify things. I'm genuinely curious to understand why these problems exist and why they haven't been solved yet. It feels like there's a huge opportunity here, but maybe I'm missing something obvious. If anyone has insights into why the US health insurance system works this way, or thoughts on how it could be improved with technology, I'd love to hear them.
Comments
Post a Comment