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Comment by digitalengineer | Hacker News Reader

I do not understand why there is no public list online with the basic costs of operations (including all the variables). With price transparency a lot of this unequal treatment and prices would surface. I understand there are a lot of variables, but not like it wouldn't be possible. (I understand a treatment at Hopkins would be more expensive than say at your local hospital, but at the very least it would be clear how much more expensive it actually is.

EDIT: One way to do it nationwide would be to ask people to send in their bills (anonymized).

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Operations are one type of unknown cost, but the problem extends to all parts of medical treatment. I know of at least one company (SnapHealth [1]) trying to solve this problem, from one small angle: tests and doc visits, as opposed to operations. But what I think you're asking for (and I would agree with) is a public list ala some regulatory mandate to publish costs of specific treatments?

[1] - https://www.snaphealth.com/

Yes. The minimum cost for a standard operation/procedure (without complications). X people doing the check-in, X-doctors for the procedure, X time in hospital bed to get well again, X time with checkups afterwards... You get the idea... EDIT: Forgot the link you send in. Looks good!

Here's a link to the guide that Ontario doctors use to figure out how much to charge for health care provided to the uninsured (i.e. non-Canadians): http://oscarresourceplone.oscartools.org/OntarioBilling/omat.... It's not a price list, but it gives you a breakdown and shows you what the variables are that are taken into account. This is provided by the Ontario Medical Association.

Price transparency wouldn't help in most cases. If my deductible is the same whether I get the $8,000 procedure or the $38,000 (same) procedure, why should I care? I bet the $38,000 one is better.

That's not my specific take, but I bet the majority of Americans would take that argument.

You're right. User will definitely benefit, but not directly. Perhaps the energy for transparancy should be directed at the insurance companies? Or would they not care as well?

Seems like an opportunity for a simple web page for people to report their fees and could search what others paid.

Not sure if it would make money, but I bet a lot of people would like it and benefit from it.

Anybody up for it?

Does it already exist?

I think that healthcare providers would have to start this process. The bills and statements are far too opaque for the end user to properly decipher.

As an anecdote, I was treated for cancer several years ago; trying to wade through the morass of bills, statements, treatments, third/fourth/fifth levels of providers, was simply unfeasible.

And hospitals naturally have a desire for this type of billing info to remain opaque since it dissuades any criticism of fee schedules.

There's a much easier way: get Medicaid's reimbursement data. Contrary to popular belief, hospitals do not lose money on Medicaid patients. They just lose a whole lot of profit margin.

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