In a bid to boost transparency, the Trump administration required hospitals to post list prices online starting Jan. 1. However, will this move truly help consumers better understand health care pricing, or will it only add to the confusion?
According to a Kaiser Health News report, chargemasters offer consumers a massive collection of prices for every service and drug one might come across.
Johns Hopkins Center for Hospital Finance and Management Director Gerard Anderson says the cons appear to outweigh the potential benefits.
“I don't think it's very helpful,” he said. “There are about 30,000 different items on a chargemaster file. As a patient, you don't know which ones you will use.”
To read the full article on Kaiser Health News, click here.
