By Julie Wasserman
Spinal Fusion anyone? If you’re in Texas you’re in for a wild ride trying to figure out what the cost is going to be. While you’re checking out the chart below, I DO have some thoughts…SHOCKING!
1) What is with Aetna’s pricing disparity? They’re paying just under $17K on the low end and over $85K to John Peter? Seems to me that negotiation with John Peter might have included some Cold Play action. UHC and Cigna are comin’ in hot too Hmmm. JP’s got it goin’ on. Nothing to show for BCBS on this one and omission is never a good sign.
2) Baylor, Scott & White is not messin’ around. You’re a BUCA? Oh wait, DON’T CARE – here’s the price. It’s truly the only system throughout the state that illustrates any consistency in their numbers, or maybe they’re just being lazy. Either way, if I’m going anywhere to fix my aching back, it’s gonna be there and I’ll pay cash.
3) The fact that these figures are ALL OVER THE PLACE, by hospital and by carrier, is a glaring representation of the sketchiness of it all. I refer to that as SUPER SKETCH!
If you are a healthcare fiduciary, this should scare the bejeesus out of you. How can you act in the best interest of your organization with data like this? Does this data even make sense? If you continue to let carriers control your health plan costs, they will bleed you dry and you won’t even see it coming.
When hospitals charge up to 400% of Medicare and the BUCAs just shrug, it’s time to build a plan that gives you back the control. That’s exactly what we’re doing with reference-based pricing, direct primary care, open access, cash-priced options, and legal support that actually means something.
