Bernthal – The Way It Oughta Be: Cost Of Health Care

(KPLR) – How much would it cost to go to the hospital?  How would you know?  

I loved the research a Washington University senior recently completed on the cost of health care.   She contacted a variety of hospitals and asked them how much would a hip replacement operation cost for her grandmother.

She was making that up but wanted to see what the answers would be.

Guess what, they varied from about 11 grand to six figures.  Why the big difference?  Well one reason is it seems to be a secret how much everything costs and that eliminates competition.

Consumers don’t always shop around because they have a health insurance plan that drives their decision making.

It shouldn’t be that way.

If one hospital can perform a hip replacement for eleven grand, then another hospital should not be allowed to charge 125-thousand dollars.  Our system is screwed up and there’s not a whole lot we can do about it.

It doesn’t seem right, but we have to work harder and to do more research before we head to the doctor.   If not, we’ll all end up paying more.

I’m JB and that’s The Way It Oughta Be.