Category: Health Costs
One Breast Implant, Two Prices. It Depends on Who’s Paying.
Breast implants pricing gives a glimpse into how hospitals mark up prices of medical devices to boost their bottom lines.
No Cash, No Heart. Transplant Centers Require Proof Of Payment.
Virtually all transplant centers require patients to verify how they will pay bills that can total $400,000 for a kidney transplant or $1.3 million for a heart.
Bill for two infusions of MS drug: $123,000
No one told Shereese Hickson she qualified for financial assistance to cover her portion of a $123,019 bill until she called the hospital.
Pricey precision medicine can be financially toxic
The high cost of cutting-edge treatments threatens to keep precision medicine, one of the most celebrated areas in cancer care, out of reach for many patients.
Charge for allergy test: $48,329
Her doctor had warned her that the extensive allergy skin-patch testing she needed might be expensive, but she wasn’t too worried: she had good insurance.
This week’s health news ‘must reads’
Election stories made up the bulk of the health care news this week. Other great gems and intriguing developments surfaced, though, so let’s get to it.
Health Care Tops Guns, Economy As Voters’ Top Issue
Seven in 10 people list health care as “very important” as they make their voting choices, eclipsing economy, gun policy, immigration and foreign policy.
No More Secrets: Congress Bans Pharmacist ‘Gag Orders’ On Drug Prices
When the cash price for a prescription is less than what you would pay using your insurance plan, pharmacists will no longer have to keep that a secret.
Medicare Advantage Plans Shift Their Financial Risk To Doctors
Insurers are shifting the financial risk of costly patients to physician-management companies. giving them more money upfront and control over patient care.
Will Congress Bring Sky-High Air Ambulance Bills Down To Earth?
If an air ambulance service is not part of your insurance network, the operator can charge the you for what the insurance company won’t cover.
Taken For A Ride: After ATV Crash, Doctor Gets $56,603 Bill For Air Ambulance Trip
While still lying in the hospital, the air ambulance company told him the ride would likely cost more than $50,000 and asked him how he planned to pay.
Unwitting patients used to influence federal rule-making
Some patients whose comments were submitted to the federal government to oppose a change in drug payment policy have no memory of writing or signing the comments.
Surprise Medical Bills Are What Americans Fear Most In Paying For Health Care
67% of people worry about unexpected medical bills, more than they dread insurance deductibles, drug costs or the basic staples of life: rent, food and gas.
The $109K Heart Attack Bill Is Down To $332. What About Other Surprise Bills?
Hospital that charged a teacher $108,951 for heart attack care slashed the bill to $332.29 — after news stories appeared about its surprise ‘balance’ billing.
Ballot initiative seeks to limit dialysis centers’ profits
The question is whether a California ballot initiative to limit the profit of dialysis clinics will protect lives or end them.