A recent report from the Pennsylvania Health Access Network, a healthcare consumer advocacy group, finds that most Pennsylvanians struggle to get clear and accurate information about the price of medical care in hospitals.
Patrick Keenan is one of the report's lead researchers and PHAN's executive director.
“We wanted to kind of replicate the experience of a patient sitting down and saying, ‘I want to find the cost of a total knee replacement,’" Keenan said. "And when we did that, we found that there wasn't a lot of data.”
Federal rules that went into effect in 2021 say hospitals have to post the price of their services in two ways: in a downloadable file, and in a "consumer friendly" online tool.
But Keenan said that rarely happens. He said they tried to find pricing information for several procedures from 67 hospitals throughout the state, but, many hospitals only had the pricing in one format, different prices listed in each format, or no pricing listed at all.
“We see time and time again, people trying to pay health care expenses over things like rent, utilities and food, right?" Keenan said. "And so for something that's so important, that's really at the top of most people's list of things that they want to be able to afford, we really need to get them this information. Otherwise we're seeing more and more people end up with medical debt, and that number is not going down."
A spokesperson with the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania said the state’s hospitals are continuing to make progress in posting pricing data. But, the spokesman said, it’s difficult to factor in variations in insurance plans, a patient’s health and treatment needs.
"Hospital financial offices work directly with patients and their families to understand their specific costs, connect with coverage, and access financial assistance, if needed," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement to WPSU.
This week, the Trump administration warned 500 hospitals across the country to provide more price information or face fines. Thirteen of the hospitals getting a warning are in Pennsylvania.
Even though PHAN's report detailed a lack of pricing information, Keenan said people should still try to look up the costs of medical services beforehand.
“The top takeaway that we found is that there is a real possibility for Pennsylvania patients to save money," Keenan said.
The report's authors found a wide range in costs for the same services at different hospitals in the same region. For example, the highest cost for a brain MRI in the Philadelphia suburbs was $18,573, and the lowest cost was $375.
