Purchasing gets you a better deal, even with health care

If there’s one thing to count on, it's that health care costs will continue to rise. Consumers are accustomed to checking various sources to discover the lowest price on every little thing from airfares to concert tickets. With companies shifting a greater portion of health care costs to workers in this economy, it really pays to look around for savings when it comes to choosing a doctor or hospital.

You don't have to pay the high health care costs

When someone goes to a doctor or hospital, the cost of health care getting used isn't discussed. That is changing now, says the brand new York Times. The Center for Studying Health System change explained that health care costs are getting to large. 5 percent of incomes is spent on health care for 15 percent of those younger than 65. The majority are looking for better prices rather than just paying out-of-pocket all that money.

Health care costs are confusing at times

When it comes to health care costs, Michael Schroeder at Angie’s List said even experts get confused. There is a battle between health care providers and insurance companies right now. Doctors want prices to be marked up while a lower price is what insurers want. Insurance companies often rely on reimbursement standards established by Medicare. Schroeder spoke with a health care provider who said that it planned on making one of the most profit by billing at a higher rate than Medicare. Patients without insurance don't get very excited to view that insurance companies are getting the cost down.

Get yourself a better price

Searching for a doctor or hospital that best fits your needs isn't that hard. The web is really helpful with this. A search engine will help you one of the most, the Los Angeles Times explains. "Cost of a colonoscopy" had been what Kathy Kristof of the Times typed into Google. About 200,000 matches came up. There were a lot of helpful online websites to come up. Among them were MyMedicalCosts.com, PriceDoc.com and HealthCareBlueBook.com. The best price on a treatment or procedure can be found here and will help you negotiate health care prices with doctors and hospitals.

Articles cited

New York Times

nytimes.com/2009/11/28/health/28patient.html?_r=1&ref=health

Angie’s List

angieslist.com/angieslist/visitor/recentbuzz.aspx

Los Angeles Times

latimes.com/health/healthcare/la-fi-perfin-20101024,0,4751926.column