Does anybody else feel weird asking the cost of a lab test or a screening or even a check-up? I do. I was looking for a new dentist, one in my neighborhood, and I poked my head in the door of a small clinic and asked the woman at the desk, “How much is a routine cleaning?” Then she asked me, “Don’t you have insurance?” “Yes, but how much is a routine cleaning?” “Well, there’s not really such a thing as routine, you might need something else.” “Yeah, but you must have a baseline, what is it?”
At this point, a guy poked his head out from behind a screen, facemask on, tools in hand, and looked out at me through the doorway, like, “Who IS that?” Okay, now I’m getting weirded out – why should I feel bad for asking?
Eventually, I found a dentist through word of mouth – not that one. But the feeling lingers that if I do have insurance, I’m not supposed to ask the cost of treatment. My doctor asks me to sign a paper saying I’m responsible for costs, just in case, and she doesn’t even know what they are.
But when I buy a car or a computer or take a trip, I look up the prices and see what people say about those products or places. Why shouldn’t I do that with a doctor or hospital or treatment? When it’s not an emergency, at least.
The $10 or $20 co-pay has been the norm my whole adult life until I got one of those high-deductible plans last year. I never thought to ask about cost or necessity. And there’s a couple of generations of people who aren’t used to asking these questions. In that time, medical costs have gone crazy and people can’t afford coverage.
Now, the government is telling us we have to “bend the cost curve” so we can afford health coverage for everybody. These researchers from Dartmouth say maybe one-third of all treatment is unneeded. But how do we know when to say “no”? I guess that’s why we have to ask questions. And look things up on the Internet. And ask around.
Maybe if we start asking questions, we could start bending the cost curve ourselves.
What do you think?
Susan with Regence
