A Common Blood Test Can Cost $11 or Almost $1k

New data, analyzing the health insurance claims of 34 million Americans covered by large commercial insurance companies, s hows that enormous swings in price for identical services are common in health care. Although hospitals are now required to publish a list of the prices they would like patients to pay for their services, the amounts that medical providers actually agree to accept from insurance companies tend to remain closely held secrets. Some insurance companies provide consumers with tools to help steer them away from the $450 test, but in many cases you won’t know the price your insurance company agreed to until you get the bill.

Source: www.nytimes.com