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It's one thing for doctor's offices to post prices for basic procedures and treatments. But in a hospital setting, there are too many complications that arise to accurately list a price.
Then maybe they need to reform the way they charge.
Going to the hospital is like going to McDonalds and:
Being charged for ordering.
Charged for having your order confirmed.
Getting a bill for a patty.
Getting a separate bill for the cheese.
Getting yet another bill from the manager who supervised assembling the meal.
BTW, you get food poisoning from the meal because the fry cook didn't wash his hands. You can't prove it was him (even though it was the only place you ate), but that doesn't matter, you still have to go get another meal to replace the one you lost. Anyway, after you eat the meal, a month later, you:
Get a bill from the fry cook who grilled the burger.
Get a bill from "John." Who the hell is John you ask? He is the guy who popped by your table while you were eating to ask "is everything is OK." You don't really need anything from him, and as far as you can tell, he didn't actually do anything else, and you didn't ask him to come by, but you still get a bill from him - a bill equal to the cost of the entire burger.
Oh, you were wondering where the bill for the bun went? Well it was never sent out and you thought you skated, but now they are charging you for the bun and the interest associated with/and the late fees. Plus tack on the lawyer fee for having to chase you down for that bun (bum) payment.
It doesn't have to be billed this way, but the hospital CHOSE to bill this way because it maximizes their profit.
How do I know? I worked on hospital billing software.
Last edited by blktoptrvl; 04-25-2018 at 02:26 PM..
"Hospitals are required to disclose prices publicly, but the latest change would put that information online in machine-readable format that can be easily processed by computers. It may still prove to be confusing to consumers, since standard rates are like list prices and don't reflect what insurers and government programs pay."
In a move I totally support, Medicare will require hospitals to post prices online. This is a move that I think is long over due and will help consumers make better decisions instead of being at the mercy of "financial rapists."
Yes, it may cause difficulties, and it may be hard to implement, but I think it is fair and correct.
It's about freaking time!!! It should be a law that they must post their prices for everyone!!!
My wife broke her ankle and the administrator said that if I used cash the surgery would cost $5,000. My insurance covered exactly $5K, but because I had to use it they doubled it to 10K.
It's about freaking time!!! It should be a law that they must post their prices for everyone!!!
My wife broke her ankle and the administrator said that if I used cash the surgery would cost $5,000. My insurance covered exactly $5K, but because I had to use it they doubled it to 10K.
It was/is illegal yet they still do it.
Insurance companies demand discounts. Hospitals base their pricing structure in this fact. So, you have a procedure which costs them $500. The list price might be $1000. They offer the insurance a discount to bring the cost to $600. Everyone is now happy. The insurance company has an illusion of a discount and the hospital made money.
Then maybe they need to reform the way they charge.
Going to the hospital is like going to McDonalds and:
Being charged for ordering.
Charged for having your order confirmed.
Getting a bill for a patty.
Getting a separate bill for the cheese.
Getting yet another bill from the manager who supervised assembling the meal.
BTW, you get food poisoning from the meal because the fry cook didn't wash his hands. You can't prove it was him (even though it was the only place you ate), but that doesn't matter, you still have to go get another meal to replace the one you lost. Anyway, after you eat the meal, a month later, you:
Get a bill from the fry cook who grilled the burger.
Get a bill from "John." Who the hell is John you ask? He is the guy who popped by your table while you were eating to ask "is everything is OK." You don't really need anything from him, and as far as you can tell, he didn't actually do anything else, and you didn't ask him to come by, but you still get a bill from him - a bill equal to the cost of the entire burger.
Oh, you were wondering where the bill for the bun went? Well it was never sent out and you thought you skated, but now they are charging you for the bun and the interest associated with/and the late fees. Plus tack on the lawyer fee for having to chase you down for that bun (bum) payment.
It doesn't have to be billed this way, but the hospital CHOSE to bill this way because it maximizes their profit.
How do I know? I worked on hospital billing software.
You might be happy to go to a hospital that is run like a McDonald's, where everybody gets the same burger. I wouldn't be.
You might be happy to go to a hospital that is run like a McDonald's, where everybody gets the same burger. I wouldn't be.
blktoptrvl is absolutely correct. You never know when all the bills have arrived as you have no idea who is going to send you a bill. If you go to a clinic you should get one bill. Period.
To use another example, if you get your car worked on, you don't get a bill from the dealership, the mechanic and the parts manufacturer. You get one bill.
This means absolutely nothing. If you have insurance, you don't pay list price. List price is inflated to begin with so they can give insurance companies discounts.
While I have no issue with hospitals posting prices, how exactly will consumers use this information?
Regardless of what a hospital bills, Medicare pays the average cost within any given geographical rated area, less deductible.
My husband has had several surgeries over the past few years. Each and every time we knew all costs well in advance of the scheduled surgery and what portion we were responsible for which we had to pay in advance. All goes out the window if there are complications or an infection occurs.
Are consumers going to shop for the best price online and rely on previous patient reviews?
“ Loved my stay at ABC Hospital. Valet parking greeted us. Check in was a breeze. Snagged a private room at a last minute discount rate. We were able to order in dinner from a bevy of restaurants. Wife and I enjoyed a candlelit dinner in our room and hardly noticed the Code Blue commotion down the hall.
Really enjoyed cable TV and Pay per View options, including adult movies. The fresh flowers in the room were a special touch.
Everyone was cheerful and the space was super clean. I highly recommend Hospital ABC to our friends and family. “
You might be happy to go to a hospital that is run like a McDonald's, where everybody gets the same burger. I wouldn't be.
I didn't say I want a hospital run like a McDonalds, I was giving that as an example of HOW it is run. But there must be a better and fairer way. My post is an open invitation to discuss the issue, not to proclaim I have a better way.
It's about freaking time!!! It should be a law that they must post their prices for everyone!!!
My wife broke her ankle and the administrator said that if I used cash the surgery would cost $5,000. My insurance covered exactly $5K, but because I had to use it they doubled it to 10K.
It was/is illegal yet they still do it.
Hospitals and insurance companies have prenegotiated rates for everything. Hospitals can bill any amount. Nothing illegal about it. What matters is what it agreed to accept as payment. A PPO discount of 50% is common.
Look at your insurer’s Summary of Benefits. The value of the PPO Discount is right there.
Uninsured patients may be offered a discount for a fee for service arrangement. That discount is not going to be greater than the rate the hospital agreed to accept from an insurer under contract.
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