A few years ago, I wrote about a novel experiment in California that used reference prices to encourage CalPERS beneficiaries to choose lower-cost, high-quality facilities when seeking joint replacement. One experiment capped the price CalPERS was willing to pay for joint replacement at $30,000. Patients could seek care at any provider, but they would be responsible for all charges above the reference price. In addition, CalPERS gave beneficiaries a list of high-quality hospitals that would perform the surgery for $30,000. The result after two years was that patients shifted to the lower-cost hospitals. High-cost hospitals began matching prices for CalPERS patients.
Category: Public Insurance
Steps to Scrutinize a Medical Bill
A Chicago physician took a nasty spill while skiing in Wisconsin, resulting in a trip to the emergency room on New Years Day. Then came the bill, which was a nasty surprise. The $10,563.49 in initial ER charges from a Froedtert South hospital in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, seemed high considering he basically got only an exam,…
Your Hospital, Health Plan and Possibly Your Doctor are Conspiring Against You
I’ve told this story a million times. A few years ago my wife saw her doctor for a recurring problem. It was something so common her doctor should have known off the top of her head what the problem was. Instead, her doctor strung my wife along for numerous appointments and tests. Perhaps it was…
Friday Links
- Will a Republican House of Representatives impeach Joe Biden?
- For missile defense. HT: Tyler
- How China could take Taiwan – beginning with a blockade – and get into a war with the US?
- The average cost of family coverage in employer plans: $22,463.
- Gender affirming care: In 2021, around 42,000 kids between 6 and 17 were diagnosed with gender dysphoria. At most, around 7,000 a year initiate some kind of potentially irreversible process. This comes out to about 1 in 7,000 kids.
- As many as 43,000 American die every year because they can’t find a kidney donor. One reason: in 1984 Congress passed the National Organ Transplant Act, which banned the sale of organs.
- Bill Barr: 1% of the population commits between one-half and two-thirds of predatory violent crime. (WSJ)