Massive Database of Medical Price Data Now Available to Aid General Public in Estimating Healthcare Costs and Making Smart Decisions
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- FAIR Health, Inc. has today launched the availability of medical cost data on its free consumer website, FHSMConsumer Cost Lookup, which is accessible at: www.fairhealthconsumer.org. Consumers can for the first time receive cost estimates for medical procedures and services in geographic areas they specify.
The tool also allows users to estimate the amount that an insurer will reimburse for medical services received out-of-network. The medical cost lookup, along with previously launched dental cost lookup and other free tools, positions the website as the premier destination for consumers looking for independent and transparent health insurance information.
“With the launch of our Cost Lookup tools, we have lifted the veil that has historically cloaked the out-of-network reimbursement process,” said Robin Gelburd, President of FAIR Health. “By visiting fairhealthconsumer.org, the public can now, for the first time, easily find price data that will help inform their health care decisions.”
The FAIR Health site is based on cost information that is collected from medical claims that have been stripped of all identifying information, and that represent over 110 million insured individuals from every region of the United States. This means that consumers can now receive cost estimates that are based on what medical and dental providers actually charge patients and insurers for the services they perform.
Through the FH Consumer Cost Look-up and other educational features on its website, FAIR Health seeks to empower consumers across the country by providing independent, objective information to help reduce the surprise and confusion experienced too often by individuals trying to plan for medical costs. “FAIR Health injects a much-needed dose of transparency into the complex world of health insurance reimbursement,” said Mark Scherzer, a prominent national advocate for consumer rights in health benefits. “By offering patients access to cost data, the FH Consumer Cost Lookup helps patients avoid disputes over medical bills with their providers and insurers.”
About FAIR Health
FAIR Health was founded in 2009, after then- New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and major health insurers in that state reached a settlement of his charges regarding potential conflicts of interest in the data that health insurers were using to help calculate reimbursements to patients who received care from providers outside their health plans’ networks. Although the investigation began in New York, the settlement gave rise to a national remedy: FAIR Health and unprecedented transparency for health industry consumers nationwide.
CONTACT:
FAIR Health
Ashley Smyth, 212-370-0704
[email protected]
or
Rubenstein Communications, Inc. for FAIR Health
Erik Hendrickson, 212-843-8098
[email protected]
KEYWORDS: United States North America New York
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Women Health Hospitals Public Policy/Government Healthcare Reform Consumer Family General Health Men
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