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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWant to know how much a hip replacement will cost? Many hospitals won't be able to tell you
CHICAGO (AP) Want to know how much a hip replacement will cost? Many hospitals won't be able to tell you, at least not right away if at all. And if you shop around and find centers that can quote a price, the amounts could vary astronomically, a study found.
Routine hip replacement surgery on a healthy patient without insurance may cost as little as $11,000 or up to nearly $126,000.
That's what researchers found after calling hospitals in every state, 122 in all, asking what a healthy 62-year-old woman would have to pay to get an artificial hip. Hospitals were told the made-up patient was the caller's grandmother, had no insurance but could afford to pay out of pocket that's why knowing the cost information ahead of time was so important.
About 15 percent of hospitals did not provide any price estimate, even after a researcher called back as many as five times.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/need-surgery-good-luck-getting-hospital-cost-info
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)FreeJoe
(1,039 posts)My wife needed surgery. I called multiple places to get a price. It was benefit selection time where I worked and I wanted to know what tour of plan would make the most sense. None of them could give me a price quote. They needed my insurance info first. You cannot have a functioning market without public prices.
OffWithTheirHeads
(10,337 posts)Exceeded 11K. And I have what is considered excellent insurance that, before I retired, costover 22 K per year. I kept getting statements stating that procedure 2237X cost 33K, etc. hell, for all I know, procedure 2237X was the nurse who helped me wash my hair. This bullshit has to be fixed!