Providers aren't preparing patients for out-of-pocket costs

Medical providers aren’t doing nearly enough to help patients prepare for the cost of their treatments. In fact, a new survey suggests that providers rarely provide information about costs to patients, which helps explain the dramatic uptick in surprise bills over the last few years.

In a survey of 801 health insurance consumers, all of whom have purchased ACA-compliant plans through eHealth, 30 percent reported “never” getting an out-of-pocket estimate for their out-of-pocket costs from medical providers while 28 percent said they “rarely” received such information.

Only 10 percent reported “always” getting an out-of-pocket estimate, while 13 percent said they usually received one. Nineteen percent said they got one “sometimes.”

Related: What to do about surprise bills? It’s not so clear-cut.

However, the survey showed that estimates hardly prevented surprise bills. Of those who reported getting an estimate from a provider, 44 percent said the bill ended up being more expensive.

The lack of cost transparency has long been an issue in health care, but it has been exacerbated in recent years by an increase in “narrow network” health plans that lead many patients to get out-of-network charges.

It’s not clear how closely the survey sample, which consists entirely of those who purchased health plans through eHealth, an online insurance broker, aligns with the general population.

Costs are weighing heavily on patients whether or not providers discuss them. Sixty-three percent of those surveyed reported forgoing health care treatments –– such as doctor visits or prescriptions –– due to cost. Roughly half (48 percent) say that the cost of deductibles and copays is their top concern when seeking medical treatment. In the long-run, however, the top concern is the cost of monthly premiums, cited by 53 percent.

Rising health care costs has clearly led many consumers to believe the government needs to step in. When presented with four ways to lower the cost of health care, the most popular option (63 percent) was to place caps on prescription drug costs. Thirty-four percent supported raising taxes on the rich to subsidize care for others, while 27 percent said doctors and hospitals should make less money.

Read more: 

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