By Chris Faddis
August 1, 2024

Hidden Fees Run Rampant in Healthcare

Experiences like Tim Ebel’s are unfolding every day, all across our nation and they highlight an urgent problem with our healthcare system: a gross lack of transparency which leads to out-of-control healthcare costs and hidden fees that have nothing to do with the care provided. Tim’s visit to an ENT specialist cost him $993 – $348 to see the specialist and an extra $645 just for stepping foot into the medical office building.

This additional cost, in this case known as a ‘facility fee,’ gets charged to patients after their visit simply for using the building where the appointment/operation occurred. These outrageous fees cannot be contested by the patients, and insurance does not cover them. From routine checkups to complex surgeries, American’s are being surprised with these and other unnecessary fees.

Fees like this are always multiplying but never listed on clinic or hospital websites so patients have no way of knowing about them ahead of time. Receptionists at medical offices don’t discuss them, and health insurance companies never inform their clients about them.

A Push for Transparency

Solidarity HealthShare, a health sharing ministry focused on connecting members to ethical, comprehensive, affordable healthcare, has seen many patients hit with unnecessary, surprise fees. But often these hidden fees can be avoided if patients are equipped with the proper resources and tools to navigate the healthcare system. Sometimes changing the location of a procedure – not even the doctor or the equipment – can save tens of thousands of dollars for the exact same care. In one instance a Solidarity Member required facial surgery and had selected his preferred doctor for the procedure. That doctor ordinarily did procedures in a hospital setting although it wasn’t necessary for any medical reason. Solidarity asked the same doctor to perform the same procedure with the same equipment but at an outpatient facility down the street and the total bill went down from about $93,913 to $2,800.

Most often, patients do not know about the unnecessary charges baked into their healthcare costs, much less avoid them, because the industry is rife with a lack of transparency.

Not surprisingly, Americans across the board support this with 94 percent  agreeing that healthcare entities like hospitals, insurance providers and doctors should be legally required to disclose their prices up front in an easily accessible place.

Americans Want Transparency in Healthcare Pricing

In 2021, the Hospital Price Transparency Rule was enacted to bring more transparency to the medical industry. It required hospitals to publicly post the complete list of their charges for services in an accessible format for patients to see.

But despite this rule we still have a long way to go to reach transparency in healthcare.

In a February 2024 study, Patient Rights Advocate examined 2,000 hospitals and their compliance with the original Hospital Price Transparency Rule passed in 2021. Out of the 2,000 hospitals studied, only 34.5% were fully complying with the rule.

It is impossible to avoid unnecessary, hidden fees when patients are unable to find out what they will be charged upfront. It is one reason why Solidarity spends so much time and effort demanding transparency and avoiding unnecessary costs on behalf our members. Until we all demand more transparency in healthcare, patients will continue to pay the price.

Read the original article about Healthcare’s Hidden and Unnecessary Fees in the original article here.