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NC health insurer posts cost data online

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Blue Cross and Blue Shield
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BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS)

North Carolina's largest health insurer has begun posting prices online for hundreds of healthcare services and procedures, in a move which is likely to spark imitations by other competing health plans. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina hopes to see members calculate costs for procedures, prescription drugs, office visits and many other outpatient and hospital services. However, the health plan won't release data on specific doctors. According to the health plan, this is because execs wanted consumers to simply become educated generally about costs. However, observers have noted that it's more likely that the Blue plan was reluctant to highlight differences in rates, which could cause a civil war between doctors in its plans.  All told, an interesting if not too radical effort. What will be really interesting is when it posts data on how much it actually pays each doctor.

To find out more about this initiative:
- read this iHealthBeat piece

Related Articles:
HCA posts hospital prices online. Report
MN group posts hospital prices to Web. Report
Maryland adds pricing to hospital guide. Report
BCBS of Tenn. gives cost info before treatment. Report

Comments

Price discrimination, price gauging, ceiling cost, medium and floor cost are all terms which serve purpose within the scope of open free market for consumerism in the microeconombic world.
The new grapevine courses into hospitals regarding the myraid of prices which hospital billing staff have for his or her ICD-9 and the CPT-4.
I think the medical administration has not yet made a decision regarding the knowledge of consumers. Consumers are now beginning to feel that perhaps medical establishments are cartells. I have chosen the term cartell because there is very little one can do.

Howver, I was taught at El Centro Community College in the Ultrasoundsonography program, that if a consumer is not satisfied with the work of the healthcare provider and or staff. The consumer can refuse to pay the bill and take the healthcare provider to court. The plaintiff would be suing the hospital administration because of price discrimination.
I do not know of anyone as of yet whom has made the effort to sue the billing department because of price discrimination. Let me know what you think of it.

Sincerely
Barbara Guster
We are Regular Folks!intern

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