How Much Does That Cost?

Why are health care prices so confusing? Most consumers can’t get an answer about what a health care service will cost if they pay cash—and what they will owe if they use their insurance. It is a source of great consumer frustration. According to the last Kaiser Family Foundation poll (see KFF Health Tracking Poll December 2022: The Public's Health Care Priorities For The New Congress), 95% of Americans want policymakers to make health care price transparency a key priority—more than any other proposed health care reform.

The same poll found that the public is also . . .