President Trump signs an executive order designed to let patients see pricing information up front — before receiving health care services. Doctors, hospitals, and other providers would not only reveal their pricing in advance, but the now-secret amounts insurance companies pay them for those services. Could this TrumpCare transparency revolution trigger the reform that Republicans have been promising for years, or will it — as critics claim — create a “race to the top” sparking higher prices to consumers?
13 Comments on TrumpCare Revolution: President Orders Doctors to Reveal Secret Pricing Up Front
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I’m wondering why these prices aren’t standardized in the first place. There may be a reason but I think it has more to do with redirecting funds to maximize profits and fattening administration pockets.
I hope the GOP and Trump use this and other healthcare issues that have been dealt with, like Veterans’ Choice, in ads.
Reports have Soros funding ads in Iowa and the rest of the Midwest targeting health care as an issue for the Dimms. To the tune of $50 million.
Same comments as with hospitals below.
Does the U.S. even have laws against known foreign money influencing elections?
Got a new shoulder two months ago. The hunk of metal was only a little over twenty-one thousand (the metal replacement part not anything else).
That said the new one works better than the one on the other side. Getting old sucks.
Yup, I got a hip that isn’t original equipment!
You know else let patients see pricing information up front — before receiving health care services?
HITLER!!!
All fees are based on Medicare RBVs. https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Fee-for-Service-Payment/PhysicianFeeSched/PFS-Relative-Value-Files.html
The insurance companies base their contracts on RBVs and sign contracts with providers accordingly (as in the contracts are individually negotiated). The hospital/doctor can bill $2 million dollars for services however, the contract dictates what the allowed payment fees.
Transparency is bs as long as the contract is negotiated. Hence, this transparency is a shortcut to socialized medicine because it standardizes all fees for service. This “transparency” is silly…anyone can bill out whatever they want. It is what their contract/insurance plan deems allowed that is the issue.
As I see it, this is a great shortcut to forcing socialized medicine quicker…everyone gets paid the same amount. You will NEVER have MD Anderson, Mayo, the best of the best take insurance. They will take cash and on their terms. They cannot exist at the level of expertise on the pittance that Medicare RBVs pays.
No one can force anyone to reveal contract information.
I, too think this is pointless-there are no ‘secret payments’-the consumer knows what the hospital or provider is paid by looking at the payment their insurance carrier makes for each service–its on their Explanation of Benefits. In most cases, managed care renders the billed amount meaningless. As someone who works in healthcare, I don’t get this at all-
I’ll bet most people are like we are; sticker shock X eleventy when we saw the 13k+ bill for a CT scan & ER visit.
The pharmamedico monopoly counts on your ignorance/not paying attention to the financial aspects when a family member’s life is in danger.
This could end up biting them in the ass. The well equipted and well staffed hospitals will quote success rates, patient polls favoring them and any other bit of advertising that sends the message that if you want the best for your health you’ll pay the higher prices. Other hospitals that aren’t as fortunate will find themselves getting fewer patients and having to compete on low pricing which since there are a lot more of them than the rich ones will put them on a downward care cycle and end up showing ads on late-nite tv with doctors acting like used car salesmen.
I honestly don’t know what the answer is except that (for one of the few times in my life) I’d suggest studying the issue more to determine whether there is a solution that does not make the problem worse and if fact, improves the situation
Way back when my beluvved was in the local hospitul fer double new monya, I learnt if you don want $20 Ibuprofen, you need ta bring your own.
So, ta save mor muney, I sharpened my Bowee knife and waited to hear if anyting needed to be cut out. Tennessee bourbon on standby. Ya know, `septic, pain, and kurage reezons (my kurage).
Turnt out I was two kuragus fer operatin’ wunce I hit hafway down the bottle.
At least no Bar got in thar.
Hospitals charge more when the patients can afford it and charge less for those who can’t. I have personally benefited from this. I’ve seen several thousand dropped from a billing.
This will, undoubtedly, result in the poorer people getting higher (honest averages) prices.
I, too, charge less for those in need and more for the well-off.
If you make me list my prices publicly – and hold me to them – I will be forced to list prices that won’t have me be out of business in a month – (the impossibly lesser charges I quote when they are poor – I just want expenses covered at those times – will disappear).
Let’s not be too unthoughtful here.