How Price Tags in Hospitals Can Help Patients Avoid Huge Medical Bills

The Affordable Healthcare Act created marketplaces to expand affordable healthcare and to underscore that promise, Massachusetts is now requiring private health insurance companies to use price tags on anything from an MRI to a general check-up.
Beginning Oct. 1, all heath insurers in the Bay State are required to list prices in real-time, outlining the otherwise hidden costs of healthcare, much like an online shopping site. While it’s unclear if every insurer met the deadline, there is no penalty if they failed to do so, according to 90.9 WBUR
By using an online calculator on their insurer’s website, users can find out how much they’ve spent this year toward their deductible. If coverage does not include a deductible, the calculator will add up the balance toward the out-of-pocket maximum. Blue Cross customers can find the calculator under “Find a Doctor,” Tufts is under Empower Me” and Harvard Pilgrim’s is under “Now iKnow.”
While the mandate underscores a sea change in health care practices, Massachusetts first began the process two years ago when the state passed a law to increase transparency among hospitals and health insurers.

“This is a very big deal,” says Undersecretary for Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation Barbara Anthony. “Let the light shine in on health care prices.”

But the new law has its flaws, and though it’s still early, WBUR points out a few glaring issues with the new health care price tags.

No standard price: There is no standard price and no list of priced tests and procedures. Pricing out a visit depends on the insurer and can range in price drastically. For instance, an MRI for the upper back can cost between $614 and $1,800 on the Harvard Pilgrim “Now I Know” tool. The prices are also listed in real-time, which means they can change day-to-day.

Prices are ambiguous: Since insurers negotiate their rates with hospitals and physicians, they may entail hidden costs. For example, a listed price tag may not include the cost of reading a test or a facility fee.

Prices focus on outpatient care: The information is not comprehensive and encompasses few prices outlining what it would cost for inpatient care or an overnight stay at the hospital.

However, as Tufts Health Plan Director of Commercial Product Strategy Athelstan Bellerand notes, the new prices “are a major step in the right direction.”
By adding price tags, state officials are forcing us to think more about our health spending and how much a procedure actually costs, rather than leaving it to our private insurance. Anthony is also hoping by illuminating the price difference, more physicians will become sensitive to where they fall on the scale and ultimately encourage more competition and drive down costs.
“I’m just talking about sensible rational pricing, which health prices are anything but,” she adds.
MORE: The Checklist That Can Reform Healthcare

This Brave Group of Michigan Business Leaders Are Standing Up For LGBT Rights

Last year was a landmark year for the gay marriage movement, and now this year, supporters are turning the tide on rights in the workplace. Some 10 major Michigan businesses are spearheading a campaign to amend the state’s civil rights act to prohibit employee discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
Currently, Michigan is one of 29 states that allows an employer to legally fire someone based on his or her sexual orientation; employee discrimination based on gender identity is also legal. But state business leaders from AT&T Michigan, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Consumers Energy, Dow Chemical Co., Google, Herman Miller, PADNOS, Steelcase, Strategic Staffing Solutions and Whirlpool Corporation are aiming to change that by forming the Michigan Competitive Workforce Coalition, according to MLive.com.
The state law outlawing employee discrimination — the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act of 1976 (ELCRA) — extends only to religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, familial status, or marital status. Business leaders like AT&T Michigan’s Jim Murray, a Republican, believe that should include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights, too.
“We need to find ways in Michigan to keep and attract talent, and there are some barriers to that and this happens to be one of them,” Murray said.
Overwhelmingly, more than 75 percent of Michigan residents back the idea of adding sexual orientation to state law, which includes a majority of Republicans and small business owners, according to a recent poll. Meanwhile, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights released a report last year that found excluding LGBT protection hurts the state’s pool of talent as well as its economy. By refusing to update the law, the state loses competitive advantage in keeping some of its college graduates as well as professionals, too.
MORE: This Transgender Athlete Is Taking on Bullying, One School at a Time
While there’s no legislation on the table yet, the coalition has pledged to push lawmakers into a meaningful conversation about the amendment. Previous efforts, which include a proposed bill in the Senate in 2012 and in the House in 2009, failed to receive a floor vote. But late last year Republican Governor Rick Snyder said he’s open to to the idea.
“This is the right time to do it and the right thing to do, and I’m hoping that the Legislature can be brave enough to do it,” said Shelly Padnos, the executive vice president of coalition member PADNOS.
Padnos, who previously worked for the House of Republicans but now identifies as an Independent, points out that ELCRA was passed by a bipartisan group of Republicans and Democrats who understood that equality was important to Michigan’s economic future. Hopefully, that attitude continues to resonate with the legislature today.