Despite reports right, always difficult to find the costs of Heath care

May 5, 2012 /24-7PressRelease / -as health costs rise, many consumers and employers choose to go with high-deductible health insurance companies. These policies provide for monthly premiums lower in consideration of repayable contributions for medical procedures.

Ideally, consumers with high-deductible health insurance plans would be able to shop to reduce their costs. Unfortunately, it can be surprisingly difficult in California to get a clear picture of the cost how much a medical procedure.

In 2006, California passed a law requiring hospitals to publish their average cost of common medical procedures on the website of the Office of Statewide health planning and development. However, these data rarely reflect the actual costs of the proceedings. For example, insurance companies almost always negotiate reduced rates. In addition, listed fees almost never include hourly costs that the patients must pay for anaesthetists, doctors and other professionals.

Since these data are not reliable and since many California are not aware that there is - consumers who want price comparisons generally health care procedures eventually call hospitals to get citations.

This strategy tends to be similarly ineffective. Most hospitals does the list of rates on their own Web sites, and the people who answered the phone rarely have all the information necessary to give specific quotes to potential patients. Requires consumers to select lists of codes of confusing billing procedures.

Comparison shopping can save

This problem comes at a time where the comparison of prices is more important than ever. Since 2002, the refundable fees paid by patients with insurance by the employer plans has more than doubled, while the median household income declined 4%.

Price comparison could save even more money. A recent report by the division of Thomson Reuters market research showed that Americans with employer-sponsored health coverage could save about 36 billion dollars a year by finding the best offers on over 300 common procedures.

Yet, it seems many California do comparisons of prices perhaps because it is a difficult task. In a recent study by the California HealthCare Foundation, only 26% of respondents indicated that they had attempted to check the price of medical procedures in advance. Less than a third of them seek this information online.

Price comparison can save money for consumers and insurance companies. However, unless the State and health care providers can work together to make information more accessible cost, it is unlikely that the ranks of buyers of comparison will increase.

Article provided by Law Offices of Stephenson Acquisto & Colman
Visit us at the www.sacfirminsurancebadfaith.com/

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