How Much is That Procedure?    One of the many problems with our
health care system is that hospitals often have different ideas
of what procedures should cost, and for some procedures,
“quality” data doesn’t accompany “price” data, so it isn’t
clear, for example, if paying for a “Mercedes” hip transplant is
better off in the long-term than cheaper options. One good thing
about this study was that top-ranked hospitals in the country
often offered some the lowest prices for procedures, which: my
mama told me, you better shop around, etc.  Photo: Cindy Funk
8 Comments / Post A Comment  EvanDeSimone (#2,101)  This is why
it is so hard to be an informed consumer of healthcare. So
little is standardized or comparable.  “Hi there, I’m currently
suffering from cardiac arrest on the sidewalk near 1100 19th
Street, could you please fax me your price sheet and ambulance
rates? Thanks!”  (This is why other countries think our health
system is insane, btw)  lemons! (#384)  What if we all asked for
a price estimate? The