NEW YORK, NY July 6 (DPI) – The Wall Street Journal trumpeted today that “new data show” that “hospitals often charge uninsured people the highest prices” – a report largely met with a shrug from readers jaded by a mega-bureaucratic health-care system that’s long penalized the uninsured.

Turns out that data obtained under a new health-pricing disclosure law – promulgated by Trump – re-confirmed a longstanding and obvious reality: That the uninsured pay multiples more for hospital services, in virtually every region of the country.

More than 500 readers said they didn’t need any new data to know what’s been going on. As one reader put it: “This is news only to the young people reporting it.” 

Reader comments

The only new “news” here is that there’s now reams of quantifiable evidence that health care systems charge cash patients more. That’s been going on for years. Why? Because they can…and will. How else can health execs like Nashville-based HCA CEO Samuel Hazen ($18 million) or Phoenix-based Banner Health CEO Peter Fine ($10.3 million) support themselves?
This also helps explain how/why medical bills are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy in America.  

The disclosure law was one of the best things that came out of the Trump Administration (I did not vote for Trump, but I think he deserves credit for this one).  This is needed to shed light on the pricing systems for health care. Prices should be transparent and up front.  

Many insurance companies – if not most- send statements to their insureds claiming that the reduced hospital costs that they negotiate are the “benefit” that you get from insurance coverage.  Then you have to pay a co-pay or deductible that the insurance does not cover.   All of this is part of the problem with our health care system. The hospitals should charge all patients the same amount for the same service and the insurance companies should not be able to claim this as a benefit of your insurance coverage.

Not sure why anyone would be surprised.  Long ago the medical industry stopped using cost, as in real costs, plus for pricing.  The vast majority of billing is through various coverage options.  So the expected outcome is they will charge, literally, what the market will bear.  And because every single medical service outlet offers payment plans people often pay “list” price.  The list price is really to make up for lower profits in negotiated rates.