Jeanne Pinder
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This share came in recently from an anonymous community member — for an ultrasound of the head and neck, medical billing code 76536, with a charge of $146.91 at Oaks Radiology in Phoenixville, Pa., The comment: “Paoli Hospital quoted about $1000 without insurance, 40% discount if you pay cash up front, $221.77 with [Independence Blue […]
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“The whole point of health insurance is protection from financial ruin in case of catastrophic, costly health problems,” Margot Sanger-Katz writes over at The New York Times. “But a recent survey of people facing such problems shows that it often fails in that basic function. The survey, of some of the country’s most seriously ill […]
Jeanne Pinder
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“Colorado hospitals hiked prices by 76 percent over a seven-year stretch as they pushed their profits to among the largest in the nation and built more aggressively than hospitals in all but one other state, according to data the state plans to use to change spending priorities,” Christopher N. Osher writes at The Denver Post. “Along […]
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“At his surgery center near San Diego, Rodney Davis wore scrubs, was referred to as ‘Dr. Rod’ and carried the title of director of surgery,” Christina Jewett writes over at Kaiser Health News, in another troubling piece about flaws in accreditation. “But he was a physician assistant, not a doctor, who anesthetized patients and performed […]
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“The latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds recent political events weighing heavy on the minds of voters when it comes to the 2018 midterm elections,” Bryan Wu, Cailey Muñana, and Mollyann Brodie write over at KFF.org. (The chart here shows who the respondents feel is to blame for high health costs.) “Three in ten voters […]
Jeanne Pinder
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“For those of us fortunate enough to have health insurance, it is easy to anticipate the costs we will pay for health care services,” writes Rachel Linn at the Center for Improving Value in Health Care blog in Colorado. “For example, I have a fixed co-pay plan, and know that if I visit my doctor, […]
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“The first man died in April 2014. Another died later that month. Then on July 18 of that year, a woman was rushed to a hospital where she was told she was lucky to be alive,” Christina Jewett, Kaiser Health News and Mark Alesia, USA Today Network, write in an investigative piece on regulation at […]
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By David Belk, M.D. David Belk, a California doctor, has an interest in pricing and has researched and written on this topic for The Huffington Post and at his own site, TrueCostOfHealthCare.org. He sent this via email the other day, and I asked if I could repost it. The next time hospitals tell you they’re […]
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“Health systems are grappling with competing priorities, trying to corral costs while still attracting and keeping top executive talent with competitive salary and benefit packages,” Alex Kacik writes over at Modern Healthcare. “Judging by the steady increase in executives’ total compensation over the past several years, it seems that health system boards are not compromising […]
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“Dr. Gajendra Singh walked out of his local hospital’s outpatient department last year, having been told an ultrasound for some vague abdominal pain he was feeling would cost $1,200 or so, and decided enough was enough,” Dylan Scott writes over at Vox.com. “If he was balking at the price of a routine medical scan, what […]
