Accounting Patterns: Health Insurance Chart of Accounts

[David Ayers]

On Mon, 18 Aug 2003 04:03:46 -0400 (EDT)
<tripp+gnucash-user at perspex.com> wrote:

> 	- A visit to a health care provider debits expenses and credits
> 	an
> 	  "insurance claims pending" accounts payable account for the
> 	  provider. In the sample CoA, this would be (for example):
> 
> 		EXP:MED:PSYCHOLOGY:AHF:THERAPY                  90.00
> 		LIABILITY:AP:AHF:PENDING:CFBCBS                         90.00

	I am intrigued by your concept of "accounting patterns." My wife and I
have reached the age where medical expense is a big part of managing our
finances. We receive a deluge of statements from Medicare, Supplemental
insurance, Insurance companies and providers. Result: total frustration
and just paying amounts due without proper accounting.

	I also have set the goal of weaning ourselves from Quicken by the first
of the year, and starting September 1 I hope to run GnuCash 1.8.5 in
parallel with Quicken until the end of the year. Right now I am running
Quicken under VMware on SuSE 7.2. I will be moving to SuSE 8.1 Real Soon
Now, retiring VMware and picking up gnucash, which at the moment I have
not been able to compile, but I am getting there.


> 	- If I make a payment in the office, I credit whatever account
> 	  provided the funds for the payment (cash, checking, a credit
> 	  card, etc.), and then debit the "patient responsibility" AP
> 	  account for this provider.

> 	- When the wheels of bureaucracy turn themselves slowly back
> 	  around to my claim, I'll receive my "Explanation of Benefits"
> 	  form, which reads like a form of fiscal fetish porn in which
> 	  I'm the unwilling submissive. But I digress...

	Amen, brother!

I haven't yet fully digested your post, but I applaud you for posting
it. Now you know that it struck a responsive chord in at least one
breast.

As I apply your thoughts to our situation, I am going to try to simplify
it as much as I can for our mostly-Medicare situation. May be a hopeless
dream. I don't want to make a career of deciphering medical statements
if I can help it.

I will post my progress for our situation.

Dave


-- 
David Ayers
Quincy, Illinois, USA
fogey at mindspring.com
http://www.dayers.net