Cure health care ills

Kudos to Daniel J. Bryant, patient, for speaking out, “Patient’s Perspective on Insurance,” (BDN, June 16). He has hit the proverbial nail on the head with his statement, “There is no real competition in the health industry.”

Having read article after article about study after study by state and federal government, and numerous other entities on the health care “crisis,” I have yet to see any mention of why a doctor gets to charge $10 per minute, or why an aspirin that would cost a consumer 20 cents on the outside, suddenly becomes a $4 item when bought in a hospital. Never had I seen mention of what I felt (as I’m sure millions of others feel) was over-charging and/or price gouging by the health system. One doesn’t know the extent of it until one gets involved personally or through a sick family member.

After receiving bills for an in/out hospital procedure, recently, I was shocked at what my insurance company had paid the hospital and doctor, and further shocked at what I was left to pay. I questioned the billing department representative about how the prices of procedures and items were determined. She told me that prices were set using a Maine worker’s compensation pricing list as a reference point.

The need for up-front disclosure of costs and public postings of charges for procedures provided by hospitals and doctors should be required, so that I, as a consumer, would be afforded the opportunity to question and compare facilities and care givers based on more than just location.

Our state and federal reps should be asking these same questions and encouraging through legislation, price listing and open disclosures, a move I believe would encourage real competition in the health field.

Mr. Bryant is also right when he says, “it’s just a question of time,” before each of us has to deal with the health care crisis. Shouldn’t we as consumers, be allowed the chance to know the costs, up front, and be able to make choices that encourage competition, fair pricing and a responsive health care system? The very people who wax on about free enterprise and the American capitalist system being the answer to all ills, are the very people who discourage those working principals in certain sectors, like the health care industry. It’s broke, and most of us know why. Let’s try competition.

Tonya L. Troiani

Meddybemps