Re:A Billionaire Pledges to Fight High Drug Prices, and the ...
by 1123581321 on Sunday October 21, 2018 @11:20PM
(#18271964)
Calling for quotes is how buyers (patients) force prices down in the long run.
For example, I got a quote this summer for an outpatient MRI that was 20% the cost of a hospital MRI, faster, and would accomplish the same thing. Now I tell everyone I know about this. If enough people do this, the hospital will not be as free to increase the cost and might even lower it (or at least start providing quotes!)
This price-shopping process is slowed by all the shenanigans that keep prices and services provided confusing, and demand to improve this is hampered by insistence that patients are never in a state of mind to shop for the best healthcare provider. It’s simply untrue—and there are workarounds in the worst cases like healthcare POAs and family members donating time.
For example, I got a quote this summer for an outpatient MRI that was 20% the cost of a hospital MRI, faster, and would accomplish the same thing. Now I tell everyone I know about this. If enough people do this, the hospital will not be as free to increase the cost and might even lower it (or at least start providing quotes!)
This price-shopping process is slowed by all the shenanigans that keep prices and services provided confusing, and demand to improve this is hampered by insistence that patients are never in a state of mind to shop for the best healthcare provider. It’s simply untrue—and there are workarounds in the worst cases like healthcare POAs and family members donating time.