Consumer Reports has recently put out an article by John Santa M.D., M.P.H. titled “How to haggle with your doctor” published in September 2011 and located at http://www.consumerreports.org/health/doctors-hospitals/how-to-haggle-with-your-doctor/overview/index.htm
The article recommends that if you are healthy you talk to your doctor about costs. Dr. Santa touches on the fact that some doctors will pursue more aggressive treatment options due to perhaps financial motivations and because of fear of being sued.
There is a focus on looking over your hospital bill to make sure everything you were billed for was done and priced properly and inspect for any possible errors.
In addition, Dr. Santa recommends that if you are having an elective procedure that you take time to conduct a lot of research on different providers and options that may be available.
Dr. Santa went on the NBC Today Show recently in a segment titled “How to Haggle with Your Medical Bills” which is viewable at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/44466215#44466215
In the segment Dr. Santa adds that you should not pay for something that was done wrong such as an error or being given the wrong drug.
Further Dr. Santa adds that 1 out of 4 households with yearly incomes of less than $50,000 can’t pay for their doctor bills.
Dr. Santa doesn’t really go into any real detailed analysis here but if you are interested I encourage you to conduct some of your own research and there are certainly some books you can read on the subject of healthcare in the U.S.
I am personally not sure how many doctors and hospitals will be receptive to haggling of their bills.
ABC Good Morning America had a Save Big segment and article on How to Talk Down your Hospital Bill by Mikaela Conley published September 7, 2011, and located at http://abcnews.go.com/Health/lower-medical-bill-haggle-doctor/story?id=14457175.
In this article it says:
“Dr. Uwe Reinhardt, professor of political economy at Princeton University, took skepticism one step further, criticizing Santa’s column by saying it takes things back ‘to the 19th century.’…You think you get good prices, but when you add to the prices the monetary value of your time, you probably pay the highest prices there.”
I personally think the U.S. is in need of a single-payer health care system as argued for by the Physicians for a National Health Program http://www.pnhp.org/ .