Medical Bills Often Come with Sticker Shock but Insurance Could be Reinvented to Provide Costs Upfront

The price of the doctor’s visit you calculated online might not reflect what you’ll be billed.
The price of the doctor’s visit you calculated online might not reflect what you’ll be billed.
chormail/Envato
1 min read
Share
The price of the doctor’s visit you calculated online might not reflect what you’ll be billed.
The price of the doctor’s visit you calculated online might not reflect what you’ll be billed.
chormail/Envato
Medical Bills Often Come with Sticker Shock but Insurance Could be Reinvented to Provide Costs Upfront
Copy

You have scheduled an appointment with a health care provider, but no matter how hard you try, no one seems to be able to reliably tell you how much that visit will cost you. Will you have to pay US$20, $1,000 – or even more?

Patients are increasingly on the hook for health care costs through deductibles, co-pays and other fees. As a result, patients are demanding credible cost information before appointments to choose where they seek care and control their budget.

Yet, in spite of recent legislation and regulations, upfront information on patient out-of-pocket costs is still difficult to obtain from both health care providers and insurers.

Read the full article on The Conversation.

Federal evaluation praises expert staff but notes weaknesses in financial reporting requirements and delays to online permitting database
If costs spiral, Rhode Island will see ripple effects, representatives from building trades, hospitality, and medical equipment sectors say
Mayor calls historic investment in schools a win, but budget relies on state approval to exceed tax cap and avoid deep cuts
The Providence mayor is proposing to increase property taxes and other city revenue in order to fill the budget gap left by a settlement with the state over the city’s school department
A power struggle in the city’s troubled police department has blocked an interim chief from serving permanently, and cost her predecessor a job
Don Fox’s luxury sweater company faces soaring import costs due to Trump’s trade war with China — but in a Rhode Island town turning deep red, economic pain hasn’t shaken political faith
Consumers will have to wait until 2027 to see the results of the administration’s negotiations