Hospitals Sued to Keep Prices Secret. They Lost.

Authored by nytimes.com and submitted by thewrongun
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A federal judge has upheld a Trump administration policy that requires hospitals and health insurers to publish their negotiated prices for health services, numbers that are typically kept secret.

The policy is part of a major push by the administration to improve transparency in health care. Insurers and health providers usually negotiate deals behind closed doors, and patients rarely know the cost of services until after the fact.

Administration officials said more price transparency would lead to lower and more predictable prices in an industry that has huge ranges in what insurers pay for services. A simple blood test, for example, can cost $11 or $1,000. Coronavirus tests show a similar variation, with prices from $27 to $2,315.

But in a lawsuit, the American Hospital Association said the administration did not have the legal authority to require the publication of negotiated prices, arguing that the publication of the prices could have perverse effects. On Tuesday, the judge, Carl Nichols, disagreed.

Jorycle on June 24th, 2020 at 15:11 UTC »

Hospitals still will do their best to not comply.

All of my local hospitals claim to be in compliance, but prices are not easily accessible. You have to request a price list, and one will be emailed to you within 24 hours. But they also warn you that they might send you marketing email if you submit an email address. And then, when you finally get the price sheet, every single price is marked with an asterisk "this is just an estimate and actual prices may vary based on <completely subjective measures that are not transparent or understandable to patients>."

I know we keep hoping a "free market" solution will work, but there are an infinite amount of loopholes they're going to keep exploiting. Even if prices are completely transparent, they know that the choice is rarely in your hands anyway.

thelukus5 on June 24th, 2020 at 14:02 UTC »

They run the medical system like it’s the liquor menu at Chili’s

NoblePaths on June 24th, 2020 at 13:41 UTC »

Would you go into a store and pick up a bunch of items without listed prices to purchase? Without knowing the price before it was time to swipe your card? Would you buy a house or a car this way? Why do hospitals think this is appropriate? Why would anyone think this is appropriate? And that it's gone on for so many years!