General Discussion

FarCenter

(19,429 posts)

52. Health care charges multiple prices just like airlines and hotels

Mon May 28, 2012, 05:27 PM

May 2012

Depending on who you are, how you buy, when you buy, etc., they've got a different price.

"Yield management" is designed to squeeze as much out of the customer as possible.

If you are a "walk up" customer at an imaging center, and they have idle CT machines and staff, you probably can drive a good bargain.

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The stunning truth about healthcare pricing [View all] FourScore May 2012 OP

Yep. Edweird May 2012 #1

A lot of medical institutions have cash payer rates... cynatnite May 2012 #2

I don't have insurance & I've always had great difficulty in getting healthcare facilities to tell HiPointDem May 2012 #17

Nor have I. dotymed May 2012 #54

All throughout the nineties, truedelphi May 2012 #61

I am sorry they treated you that way. Kolesar May 2012 #69

I wonder whether those cash rates are allowed for people with insurance but a high deductible? renate May 2012 #37

I haven't found this to be the case TheFarseer May 2012 #58

It seems like it varies from facility to facility... cynatnite May 2012 #59

Amazing. It would be cheaper for me to hide my insurance and pay cash! Liberal_in_LA May 2012 #82

Well, in our situation at the time it was appropriate... cynatnite May 2012 #83

thank dog obamacare has saved us from the evil insurance companies lol nt msongs May 2012 #3

Thank dog people are getting obama a progressive congress instead of bitching... uponit7771 May 2012 #4

Thank you! This needs to be stated every time we BlueCaliDem May 2012 #19

Instead of making excuses, study some political history. bvar22 May 2012 #23

+1,000,000 Coyote_Bandit May 2012 #28

Which Obama had on Jan 20, 2009 Doctor_J May 2012 #31

I'm not so sure about that Coyote_Bandit May 2012 #40

True. I meant the mandate (political capital) Doctor_J May 2012 #43

Great joke. cliffordu May 2012 #30

Yeah, 'Ol LBJ was a fantastic guy. A lot like GW in certain ways. Ikonoklast May 2012 #44

THIS is no joke: bvar22 May 2012 #45

And it will be there we he wins, again. boppers May 2012 #67

What about all those that were telling him this on Sunday? n/t Egalitarian Thug May 2012 #47

Love those pics of LBJ 99th_Monkey May 2012 #46

I hatede LBJ with a Purple Passion for The WAR. bvar22 May 2012 #56

Apples and oranges... AynRandCollectedSS May 2012 #50

Unfortunately for us "real" people, Obama was far truedelphi May 2012 #62

Obama the bi-partisan president. Which only serves to screw over the majority of Americans. SammyWinstonJack May 2012 #78

Excellent job pointing the finger at Congress rather than the guy that pushed it and signed it. progressoid May 2012 #34

Right... AynRandCollectedSS May 2012 #51

So you agree he deserves some of the blame. progressoid May 2012 #55

Oh, c'mon. It was a big fucking deal remember? progressoid May 2012 #35

A bargain. The $ that the Insurance Mafia paid to buy Baucus Lieberman and Obama kenny blankenship May 2012 #41

Like "military intelligence," truedelphi May 2012 #75

+1 freshwest May 2012 #5

We don't need health insurance. yellerpup May 2012 #6

+1,000,000 hobbit709 May 2012 #7

You are spot on! GObamaGO May 2012 #10

Insurance companies are parasites. Lugnut May 2012 #11

Health "insurance" must die. kenny blankenship May 2012 #18

I have Medicare Old Codger May 2012 #8

Thank you for posting this and saving me the effort. Egalitarian Thug May 2012 #48

yup! madrchsod May 2012 #71

In the Netherlands in 1996, my husband had an emergency root canal eridani May 2012 #9

I lived in Holland and I had a root canal, but I paid nothing BlueCaliDem May 2012 #20

Because you were a legal resident eridani May 2012 #21

My bad. I thought you meant you lived there. BlueCaliDem May 2012 #39

Doctors here have to go heavily in debt for their professional educations eridani May 2012 #73

We need to stop allowing accountants and actuaries to practice medicine GObamaGO May 2012 #12

"Evidence shows that healthcare costs are arbitrary and capricious." Hissyspit May 2012 #13

Water is wet! Blecht May 2012 #14

The lack of price transparency is a problem. subterranean May 2012 #15

That was always the problem with health savings accounts spinbaby May 2012 #24

"Evidence shows that healthcare costs are arbitrary and capricious." proReality May 2012 #16

Using our precious healthcare dollars to fatten the wallets of for-profit investors.... Scuba May 2012 #22

My daily medication turns out to cost less if I pay cash. tclambert May 2012 #25

"It's made up" Alcibiades May 2012 #26

And there are laws in almost every state Coyote_Bandit May 2012 #27

I certainly don't know of any such law Sgent May 2012 #29

The Wall Street Journal Coyote_Bandit May 2012 #38

No there are not such laws in every state. truedelphi May 2012 #63

Ummmm...... Coyote_Bandit May 2012 #72

I understand what you are saying. I didn't have those statute truedelphi May 2012 #74

860% profit for BCBS. Doctor_J May 2012 #32

an ~90% cash discount -- this makes me rethink everything maggiesfarmer May 2012 #33

Great to see a little libodem May 2012 #36

The viciousness of the Health Care "Debate" was evidence enough for a lifetime! Moostache May 2012 #42

The average CEO is earning $9 mil, the medical personnel does not make this much. Thinkingabout May 2012 #49

Health care charges multiple prices just like airlines and hotels FarCenter May 2012 #52

As I've said many times here. sendero May 2012 #53

Oh and we consumers don't need to worry about our fate when we truedelphi May 2012 #65

Well Obama certainly thinks so and has stated as much. SammyWinstonJack May 2012 #79

I assume you are joking.. sendero May 2012 #81

I heard an analysis of the US health care system on NPR this a.m. VPStoltz May 2012 #57

I have the feeling that either the question or answer was misunderstood ..... oldhippie May 2012 #60

Open the market to international competition. I want to contract my insurance SDjack May 2012 #64

OMG....my son had a brain tumor riverbendviewgal May 2012 #66

Health Insurance Companies JEB May 2012 #68

the base price is what medicare will pay.... madrchsod May 2012 #70

Cash No Good Brainstormy May 2012 #76

So of course the solution is to force everyone to purchase insurance from these SammyWinstonJack May 2012 #77

Kicked and recommended for highlighting what logic and common sense should tell anyone even Uncle Joe May 2012 #80