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Hospitals pledge to fight admin price transparency plan in court

healthcaredive.com

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Re: Hospitals pledge to fight admin price transparency plan in court

#51

Post by maxk42 »

HarryHirsch wrote: post #47
maxk42 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got the same procedure at a cash-only walk-in clinic. (Eight stitches, actually -- a chunk of flesh was literally dangling from my finger.) $200. We will never get control of the insane cost of health care until we force medical facilities to actually compete with each other.

Normal countries do this by imposing price controls, and it works remarkably well to contain costs. Why can't the US do the same?

Unfortunately, central planning stifles innovation. We have the best cutting-edge medical technology in the world for the few who would like it and can afford it. But by eliminating pricing transparency we've also eliminated the incentive to make those technologies cheaper and more accessible to the common man.

Re: Hospitals pledge to fight admin price transparency plan in court

#52

Post by eutropia »

triceratops wrote: post #39
glofish wrote: post #13

This is IMO the "simple solution" to healthcare - nothing will bring down healthcare costs faster than the following - be allowed to choose - know how much something costs - pay some of the cost themselves (co-pay, health savings account) etc.

Americans already have co-pays, deductibles, coinsurance and whatever other terms the insurance industry has cooked up, with no visible effects on costs. In addition to your other changes the following would also help: - Allow competition. Don't give hospitals the power to veto new hospitals in their area. - Disallow regional consolidation of hospital systems and medical practices. Regional monopolies are bad. - Incr…

There's an argument to be made with respect to advertising to physicians, but not the general public. Doctors have limited time and they ought to know what meds are available somehow..

Re: Hospitals pledge to fight admin price transparency plan in court

#53

Post by randall »

istjohn wrote: post #48
js2 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From a Bogleheads topic titled “How to Minimize Your Emergency Care Expenses”: > Fifth, nobody you interact with at the hospital at the time of your visit has any idea how much anything costs. Part of that is the whole price transparency thing. Those who know the price don't want the front line workers to know it. Part of it is the fact that there are so many moving parts. Medicine gets inappropriately compared to av…

Thing is, this was self-pay for a single routine lab test. It's the simplest possible scenario.

Which nobody is prepared for because they’re used to the Byzantine style.

Re: Hospitals pledge to fight admin price transparency plan in court

#54

Post by sct202 »

mschuster91 wrote: post #18
throw1234651234 wrote: post #6

This is purely anecdotal, but I had a 15 minute (literally) ultrasound. Hospital "facility use" fee: $800. 15 minutes of technician's time: $250. Bill came down to $650 after adjustments. This is messed up. I imagine people with serious health problems just kill themselves or ruin their lives forever.

As a comparison: For ultrasound, the price range in Germany is 100-200€ - but our hospitals don't have to inflate prices to account for non-paying patients and the salaries/other overhead costs are lower too... If the US wants to get rid of horribly high sticker prices it needs a reform of how stuff is paid for, especially homeless/unemployed/undocumented patients. In Germany, the state covers insurance premiums for…

So many medical clinics and outpatient facilities don't have to deal with costs supporting those groups and they still have outrageous pricing. The homeless/unemployed/etc groups only really affect emergency care. If they aren't about to die from lack of care, the hospitals aren't required to treat them.

Re: Hospitals pledge to fight admin price transparency plan in court

#55

Post by avocado4 »

mc32 wrote: post #3

Yes, hospitals, that’s the way to win hearts and minds. Fortunately both parties seem to welcome this idea, to lesser and greater degrees...

Hospitals don't care about hearts, minds, or patient wellbeing for that matter.

You will be brought there and they will extract $8000 for a simple procedure. That's all that matters for them.

Re: Hospitals pledge to fight admin price transparency plan in court

#56

Post by _--___-___ »

braythwayt wrote: post #9

Here in Canada, there is no price transparency whatsoever. Just when people are facing the stress and uncertainty of fighting a crisis like Cancer, they are given absolutely no inkling what their treatment will cost. When a physician makes an appointment for you with a plastic surgeon to discuss reconstructive surgery... No transparency about the cost. When they prescribe chemotherapy... No transparency about what th…

I've got some $3,000 saline to sell you or whoever it is that's willing to pay on your behalf.

Re: Hospitals pledge to fight admin price transparency plan in court

#57

Post by lotsofpulp »

istjohn wrote: post #22

I spent 45 minutes at the hospital where I was to get a lab test done, trying to get a quote for said test. Prescribing doctor didn't know the cost. Lab tech didn't know. Billing department told me I needed a procedure code. Lab tech who was ready to draw blood couldn't tell me the needed code even after spending five minutes at a computer looking for it. Prescribing doctor gave me the code. Called back billing. They…

And god forbid anyone in healthcare communicate to you in writing or via email.

Re: Hospitals pledge to fight admin price transparency plan in court

#58

Post by dannyw »

triceratops wrote: post #39
glofish wrote: post #13

This is IMO the "simple solution" to healthcare - nothing will bring down healthcare costs faster than the following - be allowed to choose - know how much something costs - pay some of the cost themselves (co-pay, health savings account) etc.

Americans already have co-pays, deductibles, coinsurance and whatever other terms the insurance industry has cooked up, with no visible effects on costs. In addition to your other changes the following would also help: - Allow competition. Don't give hospitals the power to veto new hospitals in their area. - Disallow regional consolidation of hospital systems and medical practices. Regional monopolies are bad. - Incr…

Copays aren’t transparent and essentially do nothing to support comparison shopping.

Re: Hospitals pledge to fight admin price transparency plan in court

#59

Post by noja »

js2 wrote: post #33
istjohn wrote: post #22

I spent 45 minutes at the hospital where I was to get a lab test done, trying to get a quote for said test. Prescribing doctor didn't know the cost. Lab tech didn't know. Billing department told me I needed a procedure code. Lab tech who was ready to draw blood couldn't tell me the needed code even after spending five minutes at a computer looking for it. Prescribing doctor gave me the code. Called back billing. They…

From a Bogleheads topic titled “How to Minimize Your Emergency Care Expenses”: > Fifth, nobody you interact with at the hospital at the time of your visit has any idea how much anything costs. Part of that is the whole price transparency thing. Those who know the price don't want the front line workers to know it. Part of it is the fact that there are so many moving parts. Medicine gets inappropriately compared to av…

> Medicine is like an airline flight where every row has its own flight attendant, every one on the plane is going somewhere different, and they all get a different movie and meal hand delivered to them.

In the bloodwork example isn't it like me walking into a parts store and talking to the guy to buy an auto part?

Re: Hospitals pledge to fight admin price transparency plan in court

#60

Post by AnIdiotOnTheNet »

throw1234651234 wrote: post #6

This is purely anecdotal, but I had a 15 minute (literally) ultrasound. Hospital "facility use" fee: $800. 15 minutes of technician's time: $250. Bill came down to $650 after adjustments. This is messed up. I imagine people with serious health problems just kill themselves or ruin their lives forever.

I don't know about suicide or ruining their lives per-se, but people often go bankrupt from medical bullshit. Also it is quite common for people suffering from all sorts of things to wait until their minor discomforts become intolerable suffering before seeing a doctor, which is how I operate. Too many physician visits where a doctor filled out some Epic form bullshit while ignoring me and then pushing me out of their office as quickly as possible because I wasn't currently dying.
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