Jeanne Pinder
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Wonk alert! Anyone who knows us knows how much we love price lists. Here’s a new one: It’s a site that gives access to a full workers comp price list for North Carolina, called the “N.C. Industrial Commission Medical Fee Schedule.” You can download a spreadsheet that has the prices for workers comp settlements for […]
Jeanne Pinder
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How much does a transvaginal ultrasound cost? We heard from a community member who successfully argued a bill from Florida Radiology Imaging for $312.13 It’s a good story of how a savvy person can make a clear point with an abundance of information. She sent in her prices with this comment: “These were done for […]
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 […]
Jeanne Pinder
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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 […]
Jeanne Pinder
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The phone rang, and the caller had an important message: People are being asked to pay high prices for generic Viagra, the erectile dysfunction drug, which has gone off patent and is available in generic form. The differences can be startling, the caller said: $3 a pill or $40? (I’m not naming the caller, who […]
Jeanne Pinder
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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 […]
Jeanne Pinder
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“A pharma executive has defended his decision to raise the price of an antibiotic mixture to more than $2,000 a bottle, arguing there was a ‘moral requirement to sell the product at the highest price,’” David Crow writes over at The Financial Times. “Last month, Nostrum Laboratories, a small Missouri-based drugmaker, more than quadrupled the […]
Jeanne Pinder
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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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“Ever hear of a drug called Luzu? For athlete’s foot?” The conversation started in the gym, where a woman who knows I do health care costs had a story to tell. I said, “I bet you’re going to tell me it’s really expensive,” She said “Yep.” What happened: Her podiatrist recommended this medication for athlete’s […]
