Hospital and urgent care clinic cash rates for uninsured can be Cheaper than paying high deductibles. Many don’t know if this is the case for them and end up paying higher rates for not asking for cash rates.Enter clear priceDepend on address health This allows patients to view cash prices for common services, such as COVID-19 tests, lab tests, X-rays and office visits at urgent care clinics, before making an appointment.
Solv Health, based in Oakland, California, works with more than 5,000 urgent care facilities to publish their cash payment prices and compare cash payments to hospital prices at the national and local levels. Solv CEO Heather Fernandez answers questions about how patients can potentially save money by taking advantage of ClearPrice.
MedCity News: What were the gaps in care before Solv launched ClearPrice?
Heather Fernandez: Imagine going to the local coffee shop to buy a cup of coffee. Instead of charging you at the counter as usual, they tell you to wait for your bill in the mail. Two months later, you get a bill for $175. That would be outrageous, right? In healthcare, this is how billing has been handled for decades.
MedCity News: Why fix this now?
Fernandez: We’re seeing the latest trends in new and proposed legislation, such as the No Surprise Act on hospital bills and statewide laws enforcing transparency on prescription drug prices. All of these attempt to address consumer concerns about price transparency.
MedCity News: How Does ClearPrice Work?
Fernandez: What many people don’t realize is that even if you’re insured with a high-deductible health plan, out-of-pocket costs may cost less than using your insurance — and the hospital, your doctor’s office, or your local urgent care.
For example, let’s say you’re watching your son’s football game and he sprains his ankle. Like many Americans, you enroll in a high-deductible health plan, so you have coverage, but you worry about affordability.You immediately come to Solv to find care near you, enter X-ray, And say you need it ASAP.
No need to go into the emergency room and find out what your insurance will cover later, you can see where you can get X-rays at urgent care locations near you, and you can see out-of-pocket prices and when they’re open, address and phone number. You can also use the ClearPrice calculator to compare local costs and find the best care in your city and surrounding areas.
You choose your location and book an appointment for the same day.
Knowing how much you’ll pay before booking any other type of service is standard, but when it comes to healthcare, it’s aggressive. We want to be the ones who can radically deviate from American healthcare norms.
MedCity News: How do patients access ClearPrice and how much does it cost them?
Fernandez: Consumers can access ClearPrice for free on Solv. Anyone can visit our website and app and find out the prices for themselves.
MedCity News: Why is it more affordable to pay out-of-pocket?
Fernandez: Current healthcare pricing schemes are really about negotiations between payers and providers, not consumers who end up paying. Most people blindly think that if they have insurance, they will get the best price for care. Why shouldn’t they think so when they pay monthly premiums for these services? Unfortunately, in many cases this is not the case. Is the price paid in cash always higher than the insurance rate? Not always. But with information readily available, consumers are empowered to make informed decisions for the first time.
MedCity News: Do you have an example of a cash payment being cheaper than insurance?
Fernandez: here is one Few third-party sources show that paying cash is more affordable than insurance rates:
MedCity News: Can you explain some of the more surprising/important findings from the data collected by ClearPrice?
Fernandez: Here are snapshots of some of our key findings:
the price of Some Most common services:
-
- Stitches:
- National average urgent care price: $255
- National average hospital price: $334
- Manhattan average price: $252
- Average price in San Francisco: $214
- Office tour:
- National average urgent care price: $142
- National average hospital price: $303
- Manhattan average $172
- Average price in San Francisco: $228
- Stitches:
- The 5 most affordable cities for office access: Baton Rouge, Knoxville, Detroit, Albuquerque and Columbus.
- Top 5 Cities for Office Visit Costs: Denver, San Francisco, Dayton, Cleveland, and Spokane
Photo: Addressing Health
