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Actually - this is an effort to bring the free market into the system. Ie, doctors have to tell you UP FRONT what they will charge you, and cannot just drop by

Actually - this is an effort to bring the free market into the system. Ie, doctors have to tell you UP FRONT what they will charge you, and cannot just drop by your room while you are out and then bill you for the evaluation. You can then decide if the specialist out of network is worth it, or go in-network or to your medical / medicare provider and work with them. In particular (for those who don't know) California's law protects you ONLY if you go to an IN NETWORK facility. If you do, then if somehow an out of network doctor drops by or helps with the knock out gas or whatever, they can't then bill you for the "out of network" service. It turns out this was pretty common (my guess is some kind of kickback to the in-network facility to allow this). You can still be charged or over charged by any provider if you agree to be, and sometimes still even if you don't (ambulance ride to out of network)

jniedrauer 7y ago
Prices being known ahead of time is not an inherent property of a free market. Fair billing is not an inherent property of a free market.
- ZhuanXia 7y ago
  The "free market" doesn't really exist. It is an ideal, and an ill defined one at best. What does exists are mechanisms. A law that forces prices to be visible is a mechanism that is likely to increase economic efficiency at little cost. In absence of a rent-seeking doctor's guild, it would not be needed, true, but it is certainly better than nothing.
- 333c 7y ago
  In fact, full availability of information (including price and quality) is a key feature of a free market, at least as defined in my ECON 101 class.
- nostrademons 7y ago
  It's generally called a "racket" rather than a "free market" in the absence of pricing information, free choice, and fair billing.
- standardUser 7y ago
  Without accurate an available information, there is no free market. Just lots of betting. "I'm going to buy this great new car. I wonder if it will cost me $15k or $45k? Can't wait to find out!" Said no market participant ever.
  - colejohnson66 7y ago
    It’s more like: you get in a car accident and the mechanic forces you to get a new car. The only thing is: you won’t know the price of the car until you receive the dozens of bills for the different steps of manufacturing (one for the steel press factory, one for the leather factory, one for the aluminum factory, one for the person who put it together, one for the factory it was assembled in, etc.) You also can’t find the price of this new car online and the mechanic won’t (or sometimes can’t) tell you.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]

jniedrauer 7y ago

Prices being known ahead of time is not an inherent property of a free market. Fair billing is not an inherent property of a free market.

ZhuanXia 7y ago
The "free market" doesn't really exist. It is an ideal, and an ill defined one at best. What does exists are mechanisms. A law that forces prices to be visible is a mechanism that is likely to increase economic efficiency at little cost. In absence of a rent-seeking doctor's guild, it would not be needed, true, but it is certainly better than nothing.
333c 7y ago
In fact, full availability of information (including price and quality) is a key feature of a free market, at least as defined in my ECON 101 class.
nostrademons 7y ago
It's generally called a "racket" rather than a "free market" in the absence of pricing information, free choice, and fair billing.
standardUser 7y ago
Without accurate an available information, there is no free market. Just lots of betting. "I'm going to buy this great new car. I wonder if it will cost me $15k or $45k? Can't wait to find out!" Said no market participant ever.
- colejohnson66 7y ago
  It’s more like: you get in a car accident and the mechanic forces you to get a new car. The only thing is: you won’t know the price of the car until you receive the dozens of bills for the different steps of manufacturing (one for the steel press factory, one for the leather factory, one for the aluminum factory, one for the person who put it together, one for the factory it was assembled in, etc.) You also can’t find the price of this new car online and the mechanic won’t (or sometimes can’t) tell you.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]