Frank Lalli, who wrote this amazing piece for The New York Times about trying to understand medical pricing, is doing a gig over at Parade. His first piece is “Rx for Savings: 8 Ways to Cut Your Health Care Costs.”
“Medical costs are like airline tickets: They vary widely, and they are negotiable. One study showed that more than 60 percent of patients who asked for discounts got them. (I recently got a 75 percent discount on back surgery.) For the best results, learn what doctors near you are charging for your procedure or service and ask your physician to match the lowest price. Start at ClearHealthCosts.com. It lists the cash prices and Medicare payments (when applicable) that specific local doctors and clinics in several cities are accepting for more than 30 common procedures. In the New York area, for example, the cost of a cardio stress test recently ranged from as little as $100 to a whopping $2,504.” Frank Lalli, Rx for Savings: 8 Ways to Cut Your Health Care Costs, Parade magazine, Sept. 27, 2013.
