Azar’s warning on hospital prices
Axios
We’ve all heard the horror stories of how hard it is for people to find out the actual cost of medical procedures at hospitals. But it packs more of a punch when it’s coming from the HHS secretary — and especially when he’s telling his story to an audience of hospital executives.
Here’s the story Azar told yesterday during his speech to the Federation of American Hospitals:
When he had to take an echocardio stress test a few years ago, his doctor’s office sent him to a hospital, where the procedure was sure to be way more expensive than it would have been in a doctor’s office.
He asked how much it would cost, since he had a high-deductible plan. He was told the information wasn’t available. He persisted. Eventually, the answer came: $5,500.