Google Analytics is a powerful tool that tracks and analyzes website traffic for informed marketing decisions.
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_gac_
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
90 days
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ID used to identify users and sessions
2 years after last activity
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Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
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Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
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2 years after last activity
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_ga
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gali
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
1 minute
I am sure it is true that most patients have never challenged a medical bill. This is probably most true of older persons (like me), who grew up with great respect for doctors….and also grew up with the old Blue Cross plans that paid for everything at 100%.
Americans in general are not eager negotiators. When we see that the price of corn flakes is $4,00 on the shelf, we expect the price to stay at $4.00 at time of checkout.
Many cultures historically have not operated this way.
In my experience as a health insurance agent, I found that doctors were not the chief offenders. The cheaters were usually hospitals, plus the kinds of doctors who work inside hospitals — anesthesiologists, pathologists, et al. The independent MD is probably just as honest as ever.
I do not know just when this happened, but hospitals are tied into a “rack rate and then discount” business model. The hospital bills $100,000 (because some foreigner or idiot might pay it), but the hospital expects the insurance company to offer $20,000 instead and that’s just fine.
As I noted earlier, most patients are completely ill-equipped to negotiate, and truthfully don’t feel they should have to. I sympathize.