Item — HN Reader

Lasik and discrete MRIs are really awful examples. The former is elective, the latter is an oddball.

In reality one needs to shop around for the things that happen after the positive MRI such as the radiologist who reads the MRI, physical therapy, medications, anesthetist, recovery room, OR, OR supplies, recovery room supplies, expendable surgical device costs, and a mass of other things I forgot about even though I just had one of these.

Everything is itemized and the actual end cost cannot practically be shopped.

2 comments

I disagree that it's an awful example.

Lowering the cost of an MRI (regardless of whether you need any follow-up things that are not directly related to actually performing the MRI) is beneficial to consumers in every case.

Without the ability to shop, the MRI price stays high, and consumers end up paying more.

I am talking 100% about MRI costs. It is hard to find the real costs but that is all due to nonsense that happens between doctors and insurance. I am talking about the actual cost that my insurance pays for just the MRI. The price depending on where I went had a huge impact for my insurance. I choose to go to a cheaper location purely because I thought it was a waste. The place I went would have charged me directly 11k but charges my insurance 2k.