A recent Connecticut Mirror article http://ctmirror.org * noted: “Want to know how much a medical procedure is going to cost? Experts say it’s not easy. But if you try, there are some things that you should know.”
“Here are few places to look, based on the recommendations of Connecticut and national experts.
• 1. Ask your insurance company. But be sure you have the right information first.
• 2. Ask your health care provider.
• 3. For an estimate, look at online tools like FAIR Health and Health Care Blue Book.
• 4. Another approach: Know the worst-case scenario.
• 5. Know the limits of price information.
“It’s one thing to find the price of a single procedure performed by a provider in your insurer’s network — that can be difficult. It’s even harder to try to price out something more complicated, like surgery. In some cases, the price might depend on how long you’re in the operating room, how much anesthesia is used, how many surgeons are there, and other factors.”
“Similarly, if you choose to see a health care provider outside your insurer’s network, the provider won’t have a set rate with your insurer. Many insurance plans also leave members with higher out-of-pocket costs for seeing out-of-network providers.”
* to read the full Connecticut Mirror article “How to (try to) find out what your medical care will cost” by Arielle Levin Becker highlight and click on open hyperlink http://ctmirror.org/how-to-try-to-find-out-what-your-medical-care-will-cost/?hvid=3EB6r&utm_campaign=KHN%3A+Daily+Health+Policy+Report&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=13304806&_hsenc=p2ANqtz–F81T57J-kYD0F6GBb28dLXRlP27vTz8U73Lgqd_L384F8G_8fZIYYFJCHF97dzeGMq6HWXXch0etzjc9z22-otUiC4PsQQiiRnZoXoyqVyCb5hdI&_hsmi=13304806
Doctor, Did You Wash Your Hands? ™ provides information to consumers on understanding, managing and navigating health care options.
Jonathan M. Metsch, Dr.P.H., is Clinical Professor, Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and Adjunct Professor, Baruch College ( C.U.N.Y.), Rutgers School of Public Health, and Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration.
This blog shares general information about understanding and navigating the health care system. For specific medical advice about your own problems, issues and options talk to your personal physician.