On the front page of the Louisville Courier-Journal this morning (and the first story I heard this morning on CNN), the headline reads “The Cost of Health Care”. Â Apparently hospitals try to make money, who knew?
In all seriousness, this is something that we’ve been talking to our clients about since 2003. Â This is a huge problem that I’ve believed in for the last ten years. Â Hopefully with this new published information, this will start us in the right direction in getting pricing out in public. Â The medical industry is the only industry in the USA where you have no idea what something costs. Â When you ask someone at the hospital/doctor’s office, you get a bewildered look, as in why are you asking, or how would I know? Â It’s insane. Â We as a society should have been demanding this time of open information for the last twenty years, it took the government to pass a over-reaching law to finally get this type of information.
Now, I could ramble on for the next twenty minutes about this, but I’m trying to keep it at a minimum. Â I would like to know why hospitals charge what they charge. Â Why does heart failure cost $10,000 at Baptist Hospital, but $16,000 at Norton’s? Â What does that extra $6,000 get me? Â Am I more likely to survive at Norton’s, or is it simply better food at Norton’s?
Here’s a link to the article:
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130508/BETTERLIFE05/305080118
Remember, especially for those with Health Savings Accounts, ask for a cost before having anything done to you. Â You can do the same thing for prescriptions, call around to a few places before making a purchase.