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HWN Suggests

How to Cut Your Health-Care Bill: Pay Cash

As consumers get savvier about shopping for health care, some are finding a curious trend: More hospitals, imaging centers, outpatient surgery centers and pharmacy chains will give them deep discounts if they pay cash instead of using insurance.

When Nancy Surdoval, a retired lawyer, needed a knee X-ray last year, Boulder Community Hospital in Colorado said it would cost her $600, out of pocket, using her high-deductible insurance, or just $70 if she paid cash upfront. When she needed an MRI to investigate further, she was offered a similar choice—she could pay $1,100, out of pocket, using her insurance, or $600 if she self-paid in cash.

Rather than feel good about the…

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Resources

Clear Health Costs

We’re working to bring transparency to the health-care marketplace. By building a platform that focuses on price information for medical procedures, we are empowering consumers to make informed decisions about the costs of their medical care and coverage.

FAIR Health

Get essential information on costs for thousands of procedures and learn insurance basics.

Healthcare Bluebook

The Healthcare Bluebook is a guide to help you determine Fair Prices in your area for healthcare services.

MediBid

MediBid is an online marketplace which is about quality, choice, and value. Many insurance companies show you no more than whether your doctor is “in-network” or not. MediBid allows you to see the training, education and experience of the doctor before you make your selection. The doctor’s profile, or bid, will usually include specifics such as how many of your procedure they perform per year.

New Choice Health

Save money on common medical procedures.

Surgeo

Surgeo simplifies access to quality care by bringing in highly qualified, peer credentialed surgeons – the surgeons we would use if we needed surgery – and offering their services in flat-cost packages. Surgeo enables you to compare packages by surgeon, cost, and location and get quality, convenience, and choice. Surgeo does not provide healthcare services, make referrals, or negotiate cost.

Turquoise Health

Whether you have insurance or plan to pay cash - find and compare prices...