Knowing prices for medical care
originally posted: 11/22/2006 reposted: 2/18/2011 This post has not been recently reviewed or revised by the author and may be out of date. If you notice an error or are in doubt, please send a new question by email or ask for an update. Email asktony@tonynovak.com.
Q: My husband’s company offers a consumer-driven health plan where an amount of cash is paid into an account each month for us to cover our health expenses. This seems like a good idea, but I have trouble finding the cost of medical treatment or knowing whether the charges are fair.
A: The cost of treatment is best known handled though a Preferred Provider Organization. If you health plan does not include this benefit, enroll yourself at www.ehealthdiscountplan.com. This offers two advantages. First, all participating medical providers have agreed to present the bill to the PPO organization before requiring payment from the patient. Second, the medical provider has agreed to allow the PPO to adjust the bill to the network contract price, so there is usually a significant savings over the “cash price”.
Summary
More resources:
http://www.www.freedombenefits.org http://www.ehealthdiscountplan.com