Nobody makes it easy. The average person has no clue what he or she is being charged until the doctor or hospital bill comes due, if then. Who studies the details?
However, as I learned firsthand this week, it pays to shop for health care as you might price a pair of sneakers or a water heater.
Not only can you save money, you just might get a boost to your ego.
It all started when my 13-year-old daughter turned up with an aching big toe. Long story. Let’s just say my wife and I were worried that the toe might be broken, and we wanted it checked out.
But where? Urgent care? Our doctor’s office?
Money never used to figure into that decision. Whatever was convenient, that was where we went.
Under our old insurance plan, we paid a $20 co-pay as soon as we walked into most any medical office, and that usually was the end of it.
But my family’s new insurance plan isn’t so sweet. Instead of initial co-pays, we’re responsible for the first $250 in charges for every member of the family. After that, we pick up 20 percent on most things.
So I started making phone calls to find the most economical way to have Irene’s toe examined.
I called the insurance company. I called the urgent-care clinic we’ve used in the past. I called our regular doctor’s office several times.
I talked to receptionists, nurses and the billing offices of both medical offices, as well as the company that does X-rays for one of them.
It became a game. Within a couple of hours, I made six or eight calls.
That ought not be necessary. But despite all this talk about the need to control medical costs, the health-care industry doesn’t operate like other businesses.
It doesn’t advertise its prices. At the point of sale, there’s no emphasis on costs.
You have to ask, and I did a lot of asking on Monday morning. What did I learn?
That while urgent care might have been more convenient, it was far cheaper to have my daughter seen by her regular doc. (As for the emergency room, I knew better than that. Who needs a second mortgage?)
The average price of a office visit at our doctor’s medical group was $97, the billing department told me. Whereas the woman I talked with at urgent care said seeing a doctor there would cost me anywhere from $141 to $211.
The X-rays were slightly cheaper at our regular doctor’s medical group, too.
But best of all, the doctor’s office offered a 30 percent discount, if you pay up front and don’t make them have to deal with the insurance company.
I jumped at that, considering the fact that it was coming out of my pocket either way.
Urgent care also offered a cash discount of 25 percent.
“But only if you don’t have insurance,” the woman on the phone said.
To which I said, “What if we pretend that I don’t have health insurance and leave (my insurance company’s name) out of it?”
She seemed to think I was trying to get away with something — as if! — and she agreed that I’d be better off taking my business elsewhere.
The upshot: After the cash discount, it cost my wife and I $94 to learn that our daughter’s toe was not broken: $60 for the office visit and $34 for the X-ray.
The same services at urgent care would have set us back anywhere from $192 to $262 — once the insurance company got around to sending a bill.
The downside is that I have to file the paperwork so my insurer can apply that $94 to my $250 deductible. But I’m happy to lick the stamp.
Of course, price isn’t an object when you’re in serious pain, bleeding profusely or have come down with some terrible illness. You get relief and worry about finances later.
But for routine visits and procedures, I plan to be a smart shopper.
That goes even after reaching the deductible, as I’ll still be responsible for 20 percent of most bills.
Almost as good as saving money, I found this week, is the other payoff I got from all my research.
It was walking away feeling as if I’d beaten the system. Though it might be more accurate to say that I didn’t let it beat me.
Join the discussion
Share your observations and experiences about news. Lively, open debate is the goal, but please refrain from personal attacks or comments that are racist, vulgar or otherwise inappropriate. If you see an inappropriate comment, please click the "Report as violation" link to notify a KansasCity.com editor. Thanks for your feedback.