Transparency is Bad? Please.
The administration wants full disclosure on healthcare prices. What other industry hides their costs? It surreal. It’s ridiculous. But not if that is how you make your money, which is by fooling people and then gouging them. Here is what the critics say:
But critics say it wasn’t clear whether enough consumers would use price information to seek out lower-cost treatment and bend the cost curve. And the proposals would likely be met with stiff industry opposition, including lawsuits challenging the White House’s authority to mandate cost disclosures.
Tom Nickels, executive vice president of the American Hospital Association, has said a broad proposal requiring price disclosure wouldn’t give consumers an accurate picture of out-of-pocket costs under their insurance plans.
What? Consumers use price information EVERYDAY to seek better costs. It’s called Amazon. And why won’t it give an accurate picture? Because the industry succeeds by keeping the customers ignorant.
It’s time to change all that.
I am a self-pay/cash patient and I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to try to get pricing before having a procedure done–then there’s the additional billing afterwards (even when I pay “everything” on the day of service) and it’s never done right. I always have to call multiple times to get things fixed. Then there’s the snobby attitude when I nicely ask if and why an additional test is being requested (you know, because I have to PAY for it) and the hospital doctor doesn’t have the courtesy to tell me herself–she sends the technician to tell me (whose response is, well the doctor requested it so you must need it). Yes, post pricing! And, yes, I will make an informed decision that includes pricing consideration!
You know, Doug, Amazon Health Care is just around the corner…From your lips to their hearing/scanning/data trolling bots….Thanks so much!
For FFS it is hard to post pricing. Payments from insurers for level 99213 vary from $78 to $130. What price should I post??
Of course, those prices are what the insurance companies actually pay you, not necessarily what the encounter should actually cost. Don’t you love the way this works?