Power To The Patients - Why You Need To See Prices

036 – Power To the Patients is another episode dedicated to empowering you to learn the price of your care before you receive the services provided to you by providers of care: doctors, hospitals, pharma and other other providers.

Here is what you are going to learn:

You are not alone in your anxiety over the price of healthcare and health insurance
Now more than ever, providers are being called out for not providing pricing just like any other business does
A few providers – very few – are providing actual pricing and are succeeding
You need to speak up and challenge your provider to give you the price before you agree to receive the service

PowerToThePatients.org produced a Public Service Announcement (PSA) called HIP HOP PSA “We need real prices and transparency in healthcare.” Hash Tag #powertothepatients

Providers should publish prices just as any other business publishes their prices. They run a business and you are a customer.

It’s no different than going the grocery store and seeing the prices on the shelves. When doctors/hospitals/pharma/other providers tell you their price before you receive their services, you can compare prices and make two or more of them compete for your business. When they compete, you win, with a lower price and more money in your pocket for you and your family.

This is how one local hospital complies with current transparency laws. Each billing code is separate. While factual, this is no different than McDonald’s informing you of how much each component of your Big Mac costs. Somehow, it seems that providers are just trying to snow you with information so you give up. How much does the procedure cost???

The converse of this local hospital is Surgery Center of Oklahoma. Need a knee replaced? Total charge all in, including follow-up, $18,119.00 Now why can they do that and the local hospital cannot (or doesn’t want to)?

What’s more – YOU should be the one to call out the doctor or hospital. You ask the price when buying a house, buying a car, buying anything! Why don’t you demand the same from your doctor, hospital or pharmacist – and before you make your purchase decision?!

Other good PSAs on transparent pricing:

Hospital Pricing Methodology – No Prices For Anything…Just Estimates

Thank you, as always, for being part of the community! We appreciate you very much. Be sure to send us your story of how you got the price of your medical service ahead of time! Your story will no doubt empower others in the same situation! I’ll be certain to share on an upcoming episode.

So long everybody!

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