New Massachusetts Health Cost Transparency Law

Last year a Massachusetts passed a Health Care Cost Transparency law requiring all health insurers to provide consumers with information about the estimated maximum allowable cost for all tests and procedures as well as the insured parties estimated out-of-pocket cost. The information is to be provided within two days. Health insurers are supposed to create toll free numbers and web sites where consumers can request this information. Hasn’t happened yet as far as I can tell.

If you have ever submitted to a medical procedure and then gotten shocked when the bill for the co-pay amount arrived in your mailbox, this new procedure will not do anything to reduce the bill. It will, however, eliminate the element of surprise and perhaps cause you to ask your doctor to explain why the procedure is being prescribed in the first place.

We cannot stem the tide of the rising cost of medical procedures when we are kept in the dark as to what they are.