What's The Real Cost is designed by Regence to spark discussion on understanding health care costs.

Out of Control Costs


Learn more about out of control health care costs and see how spending soars when prices and information are unclear and patient participation is discouraged. Stay informed and share with your friends.


What They're Saying...

Katie Rafael commented on More treatment + more technology = skyrocketing costs.
I think if we all just remember to ask for generics and not let big pharma spend money on marketing and advertising we could make some major positive steps forward.
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disapointed says:

Generics are not going to save us from the Medical buricrats. The bottom line is money and if you don't have any then you will not be provided medical care even if your dying.

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Katie Rafael commented on Communication breakdown: the problem with paper records.
I feel this is beginning to happen, but the more communication the better.
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Katie Rafael commented on The reimbursement riddle: the disparity in doctor payments.
This sounds good in theory, but there is no way we can control hoe much people get paid, can we?
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disappointed. says:

Doctors are people who worked hard to be rich. They do not care about anybody. The bottom line is how much money can they get from their patients. Most doctors do not even know who their patients are; the nurses keep them informed.Why should the people who do all the work (nurses) get cuts in pay? The money the hospitals and medical estabilishment charge are inflated 3-4 times the real costs for the services provided..

marshmel000 says:

I don\'t know if you are talking primarily about hospitals but I work in a medical office and what you are saying is simply not true. Not only do the doctors know and understand more about a patient\'s health than the nurses do, but also, costs aren\'t inflated. Offices charge what they do so they can stay afloat.

Killroy says:

I believe you, marshmell000, but think about this -- how many times in your office have you thought, why will insurance pay for limitless diabetic stuff (to pick an example of a chronic disease that takes a lot of self-management) but not for somebody to help patients stick to the treatment regimen. Of course you need to charge enough to keep afloat, but this would just pivot what you get paid for -- from procedures to a more holistic approach to care -- spending more time with people helping them do the hard work of changing lifestyles to not be sick, instead of just paying for more treatment. Check this out: http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/practice-management/20100526geisinger.html

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Laura Marshall commented on More treatment + more technology = skyrocketing costs.
Its these types of figures that make my stomach turn, how can we wast so much??
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Laura Marshall commented on The reimbursement riddle: the disparity in doctor payments.
I don't know about this, isn't it up to the hospitals to determine how much their people get paid?
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Killroy71 says:

Yes -- and hold them accountable. Every hospital you see should have a sign in front of it: Your health insurance premiums at work. For example, why isn't EVERY hospital using surgical checklists? It's absolutely unconscionable. If a drug worked as good as checklists for reducing hospital-borne infections and other errors, they'd charge a lot of money for it. Read more: HTTP://WWW.FREEP.COM/APPS/PBCS.DLL/ARTICLE?AID=/20100606/NEWS06/6060451/1320/STATE-HOSPITALS-AIM-CUT-INFECTION-DEATHS&;TEMPLATE=FULLARTICLE

Killroy71 says:

Oops, that link doesn\'t work anymore....try this one: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2010/02_04_10.html

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Laura Marshall commented on Rewarding more instead of better.
There are technological improvement happening each day, we need to help this positive momentum reach all healthcare outelets.
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This is a site about confronting health care costs.

Even after reform, the issue is largely unresolved.

It’s our belief at Regence that the ultimate cure
lies in a new culture: one where prices,
costs and effectiveness are more transparent.

And you, as patients, take a more vital role.

What do you think?