mkwt@lemmy.world 1 week ago
Well see, they do actually have a list that says what everything costs. It’s called the Charge Master List. They just don’t want you to see that list, because they think it puts you at a negotiating disadvantage. It’s the magic invisible hand of the free market, at work to make pricing information available to all in the most efficient manner. (/s)
dgdft@lemmy.world 1 week ago
Hospital chargemasters have limited utility to the average patient, as they reflect the maximal “sticker rate” the hospital rate charges per procedure, rather than negotiated rates or cashpay rates.
They’re a good tool for figuring out the ceiling of what you might pay, just not a silver bullet for knowing what you will pay.