4 ms·

It isn’t a bad thing, but it won’t affect many Americans. Most of the country has insurance coverage, and even a high copay is probably cheaper than paying cas

by parsimo2010 6y ago

It isn’t a bad thing, but it won’t affect many Americans. Most of the country has insurance coverage, and even a high copay is probably cheaper than paying cash for most things. However, it will hopefully lower prices for people that have no coverage for some procedures by exposing any gross differences between the negotiated rates with big insurance payers and the cash rates offered to individuals. It will benefit people that are uninsured or undercovered, if they do their homework. I have a feeling that while this is a step in the right direction, people can still be taken advantage of. Like, hospitals may offer a reasonable cash price for a baby delivery but still tack on all sorts of extra fees. Similar to the “underbody rust protection” scheme with car dealers. It’s supposed to be illegal but somehow the hospitals will figure it out.

svieira 6y ago
Having gone without insurance coverage, I have heard phrases like "our standard 85% discount" when notifying that I am paying cash instead of using insurance. (That said, I've also only received 30% discounts, so don't immediately jump ship :-) )
ahelwer 6y ago
I'm a young healthy dude and have a high-deductible healthcare plan, so I absolutely care about finding low prices for things (since I don't hit my deductible). I got strep throat in 2019 and had a hell of a time comparing prices for test + antibiotics between different clinics. I usually had to physically show up at the location before they'd give me a price. Prices varied between $20 and $250!!! Hopefully this will help.
- SOLAR_FIELDS 6y ago
  There is a fabulous place in OKC called the surgery center that does not take insurance and lists the upfront cost for all of their procedures on their website. I live about 6 hours drive away from it but just having that resource available makes it worthwhile to check if it’s worth it to drive 6 hours if I need something done: https://surgerycenterok.com/ https://surgerycenterok.com/
Zanni 6y ago
I disagree. Even with insurance, it can be impossible to know how much you're going to pay in advance. I had a surgery a few years ago, and my insurer sat me down in advance and told me what was covered and what wasn't--the upshot of which was that I was told I'd only owe a $25 co-pay for the entire thing. And then after the procedure--wham--I was hit with hundreds of dollars of bills for things like an ultrasound, mandated as part of the procedure, performed in the same building by the ultrasound tech they sent me to ... who happened to be an independent contractor. WTF. The additional cost was mostly irrelevant to me, but the surprise billing, after the consultation, was maddening.

svieira 6y ago

Having gone without insurance coverage, I have heard phrases like "our standard 85% discount" when notifying that I am paying cash instead of using insurance. (That said, I've also only received 30% discounts, so don't immediately jump ship :-) )

ahelwer 6y ago

I'm a young healthy dude and have a high-deductible healthcare plan, so I absolutely care about finding low prices for things (since I don't hit my deductible). I got strep throat in 2019 and had a hell of a time comparing prices for test + antibiotics between different clinics. I usually had to physically show up at the location before they'd give me a price. Prices varied between $20 and $250!!! Hopefully this will help.

SOLAR_FIELDS 6y ago
There is a fabulous place in OKC called the surgery center that does not take insurance and lists the upfront cost for all of their procedures on their website. I live about 6 hours drive away from it but just having that resource available makes it worthwhile to check if it’s worth it to drive 6 hours if I need something done: https://surgerycenterok.com/ https://surgerycenterok.com/

Zanni 6y ago

I disagree. Even with insurance, it can be impossible to know how much you're going to pay in advance. I had a surgery a few years ago, and my insurer sat me down in advance and told me what was covered and what wasn't--the upshot of which was that I was told I'd only owe a $25 co-pay for the entire thing. And then after the procedure--wham--I was hit with hundreds of dollars of bills for things like an ultrasound, mandated as part of the procedure, performed in the same building by the ultrasound tech they sent me to ... who happened to be an independent contractor. WTF. The additional cost was mostly irrelevant to me, but the surprise billing, after the consultation, was maddening.