Yeah. I read about it a few years ago (2013)
Oklahoma City hospital posts surgery prices online; creates bidding war
It's not new news. Unfortunately the way the us health system is setup. That type of money being "charged/billed" at a 80-90% "discount" is still out of reach for 95% of the USA population demographics.
Honestly the news article I am linking misleads the public because we all know the master billing is over inflated and what we collect is a different ballgame.
Like in Maryland. My sister "cash" anesthesia rate for C/S is $800. My brother "cash" c/s anesthesia in California is $500.
Yet my wife insurance "bill" in Florida for her first labor epidural and 8 hours labor plus c/s was $5100. Insurance actual "cash payment" to anesthesia company was a whopping $4100. Yes. U read that right. $4100 payment.
The real issue is payor mix. A good payor mix you are better going off the insurance rate. A bad payor mix, cash rate is better. But the catch-22 is the bad payor mix can't even afford $500 for epidural.
And I look at the entire real insurance payment to the hospital for my wife 3 day hospital stay plus anesthesia plus global ob plus other services. (Came out to around 22k in actual "cash payment", the master billing was $30k).
Real negotiationed "cash" payment for all services would have been $7000 for vaginal delivery (including global ob charge, anesthesia, peds, 1 day hospital stay). C/s would have been $9500 cash rate.
But this is the kicker. The cash rate doesn't include any complications or other problems that may arise.
So bottom line is Surgery Center in Oklahoma appeals to a very limited client profile. Just like plastic surgery cash rates.
