FULL DISCLOSURE, MEDICAL MANEUVERING, AND CONGRESS, ARE YOU LISTENING?
Why is it that one of the most important aspects of our daily lives is also the ONLY one I can think of that we don't comparison shop for? I'm talking about the ACTUAL costs of medical procedures, tests, hospital charges, and the like. THINK ABOUT IT. We comparison shop for everything from a car to a TV to a bag of groceries, but when it comes to any procedure our doctor prescribes, we don't bat an eye. What do you suppose this does to the cost of health care? You got it. This is a mockery. I was actually told one time by the HEAD OF A DEPARTMENT AT A MAJOR PHILADELPHIA HOSPITAL that I was asking ridiculous questions when inquiring about how much certain procedures would cost that he prescribed, including a catscan. There is a mindset in this country that we don't need to know what everything ACTUALLY costs. People inquire about costs for virtually every other aspect of their outgoing budget, with reasons ranging from simple curiosity, to budget necessity, to wanting to be a smart consumer. SMART CONSUMER. Hmmmm.....seems to me the only area of our lives we cannot freely apply that notion is with health care costs. WHY ISN'T THERE FULL DISCLOSURE?
Call me naive, but to me it seems the writing is on the wall. For years, and thankfully, the majority of this country has had health care coverage through their job. However, WHEN SOMEONE DOESN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR SOMETHING, THERE IS LESS TENDENCY TO ASK HOW MUCH IT COSTS. Think about it. If you never had to pay for a car again, would you bother to find out how much it cost, or worry about paying for it? Not likely. People can be like sheep and simply hand over their insurance card at the medical facility and leave it at that. There is a dark side to that. For years I had crappy insurance with an incredibly high premium, a $1000.00 deductible, and an 80/20 payout after that for the first $5000.00. Do the math, and you'll realize that the translation of that meant I had to pay $2000.00 out of pocket (besides the premiums) before I ever saw a dime. And NO, this was NOT a major medical policy. I'll never forget what it was like time and time again when a receptionist would ask for my health insurance card. Time and time again I would respond with various forms of eye-rolling, responses of saying I have BAD health insurance, and occasionally with palatable envy when another patient would simply hand over their insurance info and walk out the door.
This got me thinking; WHY IS HEALTH CARE THE ONLY THING YOU CAN'T FIND PRICES FOR? Why isn't there a SIMPLE LIST of how much things cost? I don't want to go so far as to say that it's a conspiracy, but my friends, wrap your head around this......If the medical world had to disclose how much procedures cost, don't you think there might be some reduction in those costs?!? I think there is a feeling in this country that if we create competition in health care procedures, it will drive the quality down. I have had this conversation with several people and I'm shocked at this response. There is a culture of fear in this country that if we started comparison shopping for our medical care, that we would be compromising that care. This is bullshit. Do I think Southwest Airlines is not going to work just as hard to keep me safe as another airline that costs 4 times as much for a plane ticket? THINK ABOUT IT PEOPLE.
When do prices come down? When there is competition.
I don't know about you, but if I could know how much a procedure cost at 10 different facilities in my region, I'd be sure to triple check the quality of ANY place I went to, from the least expensive to the most expensive. Sure, you can call each individual facility and attempt to inquire about costs. Good luck. Have you heard about the needle in the haystack? You'd probably need some medical procedures yourself after you were finished trying to get through to the myriad of departments only to have someone tell you you're asking ridiculous questions. CONGRESS, ARE YOU LISTENING???????
