SPOTLIGHT: Doctors not sure what charges will be, either


Patients are often frustrated when they can't find out up front what their final cost of service will be for a hospital or physician visit. The thing is, given the complexity of the system, even providers themselves don't know what the final bill will be, notes Benjamin Brewer, M.D. If there's any hope of helping patients get better value, both insurers and hospitals should have to show what their contract terms are, Brewer argues. Article