Oregon on Thursday launched a Web site that lets consumers compare the average payment for more than 80 medical procedures at Oregon hospitals, the AP/Salem Statesman Journal reports.
The average costs are based on payments by the nine largest health insurers in the state. However, the site does not include all claims, and the costs would be different for Medicare, Oregon Health Plan and uninsured patients (AP/Salem Statesman Journal, 8/3).
The Compare Hospital Costs Web site offers consumers a better idea of what they might pay because the prices reflect discounts that insurers and hospitals negotiate, the Portland Business Journal reports. The Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems has a Web site, called Price Point, but it provides the full charges for procedures (Portland Business Journal, 8/2).
Many states report data based on billed charges, but consumers rarely pay that price, the Medford Mail Tribune reports. Only New Hampshire and Pennsylvania negotiated discount payments as Oregon now is doing, according to the Department of Consumer and Business Services.
The Web site uses only a relatively small sample of the total number of procedures performed at hospitals. However, the site still could help residents understand the complexities of health care costs, Maribeth Healey, executive director of Oregonians for Health Security, said.
Healey noted that the large amount of data might be overwhelming for many people. "I'm not sure how helpful it will be to most consumers," she said, adding, "but the more information that's available, the better we will be able to understand this system" (Kettler, Medford Mail Tribune, 8/3).