Be Your Own Investigator: Finding the true cost of healthcare
(InvestigateTV) — According to a December 2024 survey, America’s view of healthcare is at its lowest point in 24 years.
In the event your next procedure or prescription is not an emergency, a little bit of research could save you a lot of money in the long run.
When you or a loved one needs medical care, there’s usually enough to worry about without wondering just how much that test or treatment is going to cost you.
Despite the federal government requiring that hospitals be upfront about what they charge, our national investigative team has found that those price tags can still be hard to find.
Some hospitals have price calculators on their websites that are actually pretty easy to find.
If you don’t see one right away, try looking under Billing or Insurance, or on the pages designed for new patients. These tools might also appear under Patient Resources or Financial Assistance.
No luck? Try typing “hospital price transparency” or “cost estimator” into the website’s search bar.
If the hospital is using an online tool, you can start looking for the test or procedure you want to price out.
You may be asked for your insurance information, and it can be helpful to ask your doctor for the specific billing code, as you could be met with complicated medical .
Knowing that code ensures you’re looking at the right thing. Some hospitals only offer lists or spreadsheets that you have to to see.
If you’re comfortable enough with computers to open and read through those, those billing codes, again, they’re gonna come in handy to quickly find what you’re looking for.
After all that searching, if you still can’t find the price, you still have some other options. If you have health insurance, try calling your plan and asking for an estimated price.
They’ll also likely need that code and some information about which hospital you’ll be visiting.
You can also call the hospital’s finance office to ask for further information.
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