Trump just bragged his getting hospitals to reveal prices "may be bigger than healthcare itself"

[highplainsdem]

Idiot.

That's like saying telling people the price of food is bigger than feeding them. Or telling them the price of a house or apartment is bigger than giving them shelter.

Link to tweet

BIG VICTORY for patients – Federal court UPHOLDS hospital price transparency. Patients deserve to know the price of care BEFORE they enter the hospital. Because of my action, they will. This may very well be bigger than healthcare itself. Congratulations America!

[TreasonousBastard]

1. Did he really do this or is he just bullshitting again?

[highplainsdem]

6. Hospitals lost a court case to stop a new federal rule going into effect next year requiring

them to disclose the prices they negotiate with insurers:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-hospitals-lawsuit/u-s-hospitals-lose-legal-challenge-to-trump-price-transparency-rule-idUSKBN23U3FY


But this is hardly equivalent to providing healthcare.

[Ms. Toad]

10. While it is not easily assembled, it is also not secret information.

Anyone who has insurance can tell exactly what price they have negotiated for each and every procedure. It's right there in the EOB.

That's why I always describe my daughter's expenses as $200,000 in billed care every year. What the providers are paid is far less. Her provider is paid about $8,000 by the insurer for the infusion she gets every 7 weeks - the billed cost is about $26,000.

The real rip-off: Most of that is the cost of infusion ($2000 for meds/$6,000 for the infusion). A home health care nurse comes, runs the IV bag, waits to confirm there is no adverse reaction. It takes about 1.5 hours. Tacking on a hour of drive time (I doubt it is that much) - 2.5 hours of work for $6,000. The home health care nurse probably gets less than $100 of that. Tack another $100 on for benefits (generous). That means a profit for the agency of $5,800. (All equipment - infusion bags, saline, IV pole, etc. comes as part of the prescription meds; the work is done in our home so no facility fees.)

[Solly Mack]

2. SMH

[Under The Radar]

3. People that have no insurance always had transparency

They had to prove that they could pay the price or go
else where

[Nevilledog]

5. +1

[Nevilledog]

4. That helps people how?

Before they wheel you into the ER they tell you it's gonna cost $30k. You have no insurance. They just drop you off the gurney right there?

[Hoyt]

12. To be fair, by law they have to stabilize you. Now, after that you are on your

on, and also have to deal with collection agencies.

But if you have nothing, there’s always chance to qualify for Medicaid or heavily subsidized ACA. Not best way, but a little better than throwing you back in the street

[Nevilledog]

14. The fact that anyone injured and in distress has to think about cost is inhumane.

[Hoyt]

16. Agree completely.

[area51]

17. Not everyone can qualify for Medicaid or subsidized ACA. n/t

[Hoyt]

18. True. But a lot of poor, unemployed people do. But, not enormous.

[Recursion]

21. About 15% of adults and 50% of children are enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP

That first number was supposed to be 25% by now but state governments decided punishing the working poor was worth it to mess up the ACA.

[Recursion]

20. The 6% of health spending that's on emergency medicine isn't what this is about

This is about the 80% or so that's on planned procedures and chronic condition care. And it would help a lot to be able to know in advance how much that knee operation would cost at different providers.

[Newest Reality]

7. You won't

You won't reveal your tax returns and we still wonder why since you really go out of your way to prevent the American people from seeing them which we all know means that YOU have something big to hide from us.

Stay on topic, Grump.

[struggle4progress]

8. "No health insurance for you! And now you'll know how much you needed it! Die, grandma, die!"

[Bleacher Creature]

9. "Because of my action . . ."

ME!! ME!! ME!!

[herding cats]

11. This is a nothing burger.

We all see our before and after negotiated prices in our EOB. This wasn't a mystery. It's also the (general) difference from the cash (no insurance price) and those who have insurance.

[Nevilledog]

15. Exactly!

[Hoyt]

13. Not trump's victory, but media will, at least should, jump on this by

identifying high cost hospitals, especially with quality ratings.

It will also be interesting how well insurers negotiate. With the required Medical Loss Ratio, those that negotiate better rates, should have lower premiums.

More info/transparency in healthcare is better than less.

[Recursion]

19. This actually is a pretty good thing

Price transparency is something hospitals have been fighting tooth and nail for decades, because it's going to make them make a lot less money.