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How much does it cost to fix a split lip at your local hospital? Based on data hospitals are now required to share, it could be $208 or $49 or $570 \u2014 but it\u2019s probably none of those.<\/p>\n
Hospitals across Idaho and the U.S. are required to publish what they charge for individual health care services, along with their cash discount price and the special rates they\u2019ve negotiated with health insurance companies.<\/p>\n
The federal regulations that forced these acts of transparency also require hospitals to publish the prices of some non-emergency services, so patients can \u201cshop around\u201d to find the best deal. These disclosures are posted on each hospital\u2019s website in spreadsheets, often labeled \u201cshoppable services\u201d and \u201cstandard charges.\u201d<\/p>\n
But a review of price transparency files for hospitals across Idaho shows that \u201cstandard charges\u201d are anything but standard.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \t<\/strong><\/p>\n Federal health officials and interest groups have pushed, for more than a decade, to make health care prices more visible to the general public. Slowly, federal rules have kicked in that require hospitals to publish their \u201cchargemaster\u201d rates \u2014 the sticker price for every conceivable line-item charge on a medical bill \u2014 and more information meant to empower consumers.<\/p>\n The rules recently rolled out to insurance companies, requiring them to make it possible for people with insurance to get an online cost estimate.<\/p>\nHealth care transparency or a data dump?<\/h4>\n
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