As more people get high-deductible health insurance plans in conjunction with a health savings account, they are paying more attention to the fees they are being charged. Savvy consumers are discovering a wide range of prices among various providers, and many ways to reduce their hospital bills and avoid over-charges.

The medical industry, unlike virtually every other business, loves to keep their prices secret. They do this, very simply, so they can make more money. Only by shopping your medical care, demanding price transparency, negotiating for the best price, and carefully reviewing your bill can you be assured that you are getting a fair price, and not being ripped off.

A dramatic example is the price hospitals charge of open heart surgery. The Valley Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada charges $233,259 for open heart surgery involving a heart valve replacement. The Mayo Clinic, recognized as one of the top heart care centers in the world, charges $79,601 for the same procedure. As another example, The Miami Herald recently published an article about hospital pricing in Florida. A woman going to Palmetto General Hospital in Hialeah for physical therapy following a car accident had tried to find out what the treatment would cost her, but to little avail. After eleven sessions she started receiving the bills - $1,560 per visit. She was able to find the same service at Memorial Regional hospital in Hollywood, FL for only $50 per visit.

Hospital Overcharges

Anyone who has ever tried to decipher a hospital bill knows that they can be next to impossible to understand. This conveniently makes it easy for hospitals to hide improper charges by using mysterious medical technology and codes. Whether through deliberate overcharges or honest errors, experts estimate that hospitals overcharge patients by $10 billion a year, or an average of $1,300 per hospital stay.

Hospitals have been known to charge $129 for a "mucus recovery system" that was really a $2 box of tissues, $57.50 for a "free" teddy bear, and even $1,004 for a toothbrush. Most people never see an itemized statement, and so have no idea what they're being charged for.

Nora Johnson, a medical billing advocate, was quoted in a recent article saying that over 90% of the hospitals bills that she has audited have had gross overcharges.

Hospitals often go to extraordinary lengths to discourage you from delving too much into your bill. Nevertheless, there are some specific things you can do to make sure you're not getting taken for a ride.

- If possible, call the hospital's billing department ahead of time and ask them what you will be charged for a room and what that charge includes. If it doesn't include something you might need, such as tissues, bring your own.

- Ask your doctor to estimate your cost of treatment.

- Bring your own prescription medications to avoid paying top price for medications purchased from the hospital.

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