Tell Hospitals to Make Their Prices Public
If you've ever tried to find out how much a surgery is going to cost beforehand, you might feel like the hospitals and doctors are daring you to be an effective consumer of health care. They certainly make it as hard as possible.
Hospitals charge different prices to people with different insurance, and the highest prices to people with no insurance. They charge Medicare far more than they ever expect to receive. The same hospital chain may charge more in one city than another for the same service. And to top it all off, the prices are effectively a secret.
Most hospitals take a "less is more" approach when it comes to posting prices. Hospitals can voluntarily publish their prices, but many state laws protect hospitals if instead they choose to keep their prices secret. Sign our petition to the Hospital Association groups demanding that all their hospitals start publishing their prices by insurance company so each of us can shop and compare!
Dear Hospital Association representative,
A recent report by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Studies (CMS) found wide variations in the amount different hospitals bill for the same procedure.
No wonder health care costs are out of control! Patients should have easy access to prices so we can comparison shop and make informed financial decisions about our care. Even if I only pay 20% of the cost out of pocket, the price variation could mean hundreds or even thousands in savings for my family.
[Your comments here]
We hereby demand that all hospitals publicly disclose their prices by insurance company so that every one of us has a fair chance at getting the care we need at a price we can afford.
Sincerely,
[Your name here]
