How Much Does Your M.R.I. Cost? Buy It First to Find Out. | NYT Opinion 

Hi, I'm Jonah, the Deputy Director of Opinion Video at The New York Times. Opinion Video has tried to bring to light the many ways in which our profit-driven hospital system is failing both patients and those that care for us. In January, nurses set the record straight on what’s actually causing the hospital staffing crisis (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PrDyii0P4DU.html). The previous summer, we spent time in covid ICU’s showing the sad intersection of death and vaccine politics (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pd8P12BXebo.html). Earlier, a short film offered a firsthand perspective of the brutality of the pandemic inside an I.C.U. (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KR4ifeGxdQw.html). Today, we bring you another hidden injustice: hospitals across the country are ignoring new laws that require them to list prices for services - and you're paying the (literal) price. Have you been impacted by the lack of pricing transparency? Let us know in the comments.

It's inexcusable that 86% of hospitals aren't complying with federal law but even if prices were transparent, you can't shop for lifesaving care. When I got hit by a car thankfully I didn't lose conscious so I was able to direct myself to an in network hospital ER. Health care is a human right not a consumer product. It's absolutely insane that we don't have Medicare for All. No it should never be prices first - it should be CARE first.

As a Dutch person I have never even had to think about spending more than 400 euros out of pocket for essential medical care. And that system is far from perfect too but the US healthcare system is truly a hoax. Healthcare should NEVER be expensive enough to send people to bankruptcy.

i have been living in the states for about 6yrs now and received a medical bill for the first time in my life. i have lived in Australia, UK, Singapore and Hong Kong and have never paid or seen a medical bill, ever. it was a huge culture shock to get a $200 bill for a simple consult with an in-network GP.

This is an incredibly important film, which showcases the tragic financial hardship we face as patients in this country living with a healthcare system rigged against us, top to bottom. Hospitals across the country continue to illegally squeeze patients for their shameful corporate greed while the government ignores the fact that they are breaking federal laws to do so. Thank you Martin and thank you New York Times!

When a person is ill ‘shopping’ for medical care is an absurd notion. The sick (or the family of a sick child) should not have to worry about how much treatment will cost and or whether their health insurance will cover the expenses. It’s heinous that the medical insurance industry is in control of healthcare and who has access to it.

The American "health care delivery system". hahahahaha I just retired from 37 years as a sole practitioner, never associated with networks, corporations, etc. Treated LOTS of homeless, lots of people on very reduced rates. Now 75, I have almost no money. No mansion, no yacht, no airplane. Greedy healthcare business makes me sick.

My wife and I had a stillborn, one month away from his due date, a couple of weeks later to get a 9,000 bill was a tough pill to swallow, americans needs to wake up and stop letting corporations run our lives, people first profits after, and we had good health insurance

Maybe healthcare should just be free then. Having prices be public wouldn’t be so contentious if patients never needed to worry about the bill in the first place

I am Canadian, so I don't pay for an MRI (have had many for a bad knee and kidney stones). So glad I live in a country with universal health care. Capitalists will argue that we pay higher taxes for "free" health care. They are right and I will gladly pay higher taxes to benefit all my fellow citizens.

This makes me so glad to live in a civilized country. Yes, I am describing the US as uncivilized, here. I live in Germany. When I need healthcare, I go to te doctor, who will admit me to hospital. I get treated, I get referred to one or more specialists, if need be, and then I go back to normal life. How much does it cost me? 10€ per day, capped at 28 days per calendar year. And yes, that includes "room and board". You can't even afford to pay these 280€ right now? OK, no problem, interest free payment plans are readily available. And if you would have to pay more than 2% of your annual income on these co-pays (this can be lowered to 1%, in certain cases), you are exempt from any further medical co-pays for the rest of the year. Do we have to pay more in taxes for this healthcare? No. We don't. Healthcare is a separate insurance premium that's proportional to your income. Currently, that premium sits at 14.6% of your gross wages. Sounds expensive, but many, if not most American "health insurance plans" are similarly priced. All this to show that the US is a third world country, at least concerning medical costs.

I’m uninsured. If my choices are either have a lifetime of debt or die, I’d rather die. What quality of life can I possibly have if I’m saddled with tens upon tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of dollars of debt?

My mother-in-law [in the US] passed [in 1988] from cancer but for some time afterwards the bills kept comming. Then I noticed several that appeared nearly identical as to the services or materials [IV's, procedures, dressings, consulations, etc] rendered on particular days. When questioned the hospital, and without the least bit of shame, admitted that the insurance company didn't compensate them sufficiently in those instances so they simply double or triple billed them for the same stuff or procedure. Absolutely disgusting. Probably unlawful as well.

Oh my gosh, this 100%. It's now come to the point that I don't go for medical care unless I absolutely have to. You feel as though your health is being held hostage. It's horrible. Predatory. The stress of the bills inhibits your recovery at times, creating a vicious cycle. There's no real regulation to prices. I don't take my car to the mechanic and have them perform work without knowing the prices.

Thank you Martin Schoeller and New York Times!!! We need action and enforcement from the government to protect patients.

I have been talking about this for years. Finally someone speaking on this matter. I am blessed to have medical yet, I have received my 6 concussion yet from a bank. And I can’t receive any compensation due to having Insurance. When my Mother passed they kept Billions and made use pay over 100k to social security for them giving her redux-phen-phen. Thank you for having the courage to report.

Single payer would actually be cheaper than for-profit insurance (studies back this), and we could stop having roughly 500,000 people a year going bankrupt due to medical debt. ...Not to mention the estimated 68,000 per year who die from preventable causes due to lack of insurance. Single-payer means that care would be free at the point of service. It means you'd have more taken out for taxes every month, yes. But you would have no insurance premiums. ...If your employer buys your insurance, you could wind up with a bigger paycheck, because the employer would no longer be on the hook for your healthcare. ...If you want to change jobs or start your own business, *you would never have to worry about your healthcare!* Single-payer, y'all.

$1.3m for emergency cardiac, cabg, icu and subsequent recovery and pacemaker/defibrillator installation. $20k out of pocket after insurance and I’m a lucky one. America needs a single payer system of healthcare not controlled by lobbyists or drug companies

Why would you call this opinion when you’re presenting facts? And 86% of the hospitals are not providing any price information is totally insane, disgustingly greedy.

Price-gouging when people are in health hurricanes (aka hospitalized) reflects a deep moral failing by hospital leadership. In actual hurricanes, price-gouging is illegal. To begin with, no hospital receiving any taxpayer funds (medicare, medicaid, etc.) or that is tax-exempt should be allowed to do this.

I was hospitalized by a local hospital when I didn’t need to be. I came in with dizziness and heart palpitations, and when they couldn’t find anything wrong, they insisted that I be hospitalized overnight to “find out what’s going on”. Everything that they did could have been done outpatient. I was there only one night, and the care was absolutely dreadful. I checked myself out the next morning against their wishes. The bill was $5,500 of which I was responsible for $1,200. I know that’s much less than what many people pay for hospitalization, but I absolutely didn’t need to be there and I’m certain the staff knew that as well. It was just a money grab, a complete fear mongering con job by an institution that we should be able to trust, but can’t.

I love the US but it’s sooooo messed up. Hopefully you guys will figure it out! I wish you all good health! Peace & love from Europe!

It’s crazy that medical and healthcare technology improves at the cost of these patients and the prices never go down.

me: a hard-working 27yo being harassed by a debt collection agency out of the blue during a work call on Monday for some crazy bill that is nowhere in any of my EOBs from my previous health insurer. This is all because I had to have emergency surgery when my appendix ruptured ..a year ago.. and after I thought I had finally paid off all my debts. The medical and insurance industries in this country are absolutely a**backwards and just downright criminal from my experience. Everything down to the hospital not even having my proper address on file and thus not properly sending documentation to my address and probably also not giving individual physicians my correct address hence why I already had to fend off another debt collector asking for money for services I literally never received a bill for. I could go on and on about how miserable and stressful it’s been. All i’m saying is if you find yourself having a medical incident requiring an emergency room visit or surgery… be relentless in your demands for information even while in the hospital, extensive records of who did what, triple-checking all information on file is complete and correct, and then after fact riding your insurance company’s a** for updates, & records. You will think everything’s resolved then suddenly be at risk of your credit report being permanently damaged because some random nurse in an ER doesn’t actually take your insurance this doesn’t go through insurance and then sends your bill to a debt collector a couple months later all while you have absolutely 0 knowledge of the debt.

Rest of the G7: sorry, medical what?!? At most, it's a tiny charge, not something worth risking death for...

Unbelievable. Even drug dealers and hitmen will inform you of the price of services. I live in Norway and there is an annual roof of about 300 dollars. Anything over that is covered by the state and you get a "free card". Not dental though.

When the American dream becomes the American nightmare. What atrocity!

The hospital pricing issue is much greater than most believe. Crying for government help finds deaf ears as the big insurance companies and the hospitals are huge political contributors from the local political level all the way to Congress. Not only do the hospitals price gouge, they send out grossly flawed billings almost always to the detriment of the payor. Those "mistakes" are added atop charges that are marked up 500% to 1100% over what Medicare (basically a cost plus reimbursement program) pays. The big insurers, Blue Cross, United, Aetna, and Cigna pretend to represent employers and individual payers via their PPO "discounts" which are typically 50% off of the hospitals gross billed charges. Post those discounts, most employers (regardless of their size) are paying about 300% of what Medicare would pay AND the employer is paying a hefty charge of about $20 per employee per month for this privilege. The billing errors of hospitals are conveniently overlooked by the big insurance companies to help keep their monopolies in place and to force employers and their employees into the price gouging web. Don't believe it when hospitals cry that they are not making or are even losing money. Hospitals keep two and sometimes three sets of books so that no one sees their actual financials. There are opportunities for employers and individuals to pay much less for hospital services through cash pay discounts or Reference Based Reimbursement. If you consider Reference Based Reimbursement (which pays hospitals about 150% of what Medicare would pay) be very leery of service providers that charge a percentage of the hospital's gross billed charges as their fee.

It's unbelievable and outrageous how much medical care costs!

I wish we as Americans realized how ludicrous this is. It's not like this in other developed countries!

Every time is a good time to invest! Investment is not a game of chance or luck like the lottery, rather it involves critical reasoning, planning, and diligence and focuses on achieving the major goal (PROFIT). Notwithstanding, one should put into consideration that various externalities may occur during the investment period which could result in a high yield in profit or loss.

Thank you for opening people's eyes to this problem

Thank you NYT!

The hospital price transparency rule is irrelevant in our current system. It doesn't make sense for hospitals to comply if patients don't know true costs until insurance bills for the procedure AFTER it's performed

I'm currently trying to fight at 14k bill for 6 hours in the ER, and i informed them when i walked in, i would need financial assistance, and wanted to speak to a councilor - it was never an option. After the fact, i tried to apply for FinAid; the offices they have listed on their website do not exist IRL; their web portal doesn't fucntion; and there is NEVER a financial aid councilor on site EVER. How do i hold this hospital accountable for breaking the law?

Really great work, thank you.

How can you POSSIBLY say that 86% are non-compliant when only TWO (2) have been fined for not doing so?

Big business includes ems, police and lawyers. I was given an ultimatum recently and it says get in the ambulance or back of police car.

Well done. Thank you.

Late stage capitalism at its worst… that combined with your polarized political landscape. It’s just a ticking time bomb if you ask me… I hope you find solutions that have people in mind and not focus on profit and financial enrichment. greetings from Germany.

It took until 2022 for NYT to realize lack of price transparency might be a bad thing? I've been complaining about this since the 2000s, and I'm not especially old.

some hospitals put their prices up in excel files. The problem with that is this type of minimal compliance makes it hard to compare prices. What we need is searchable website listing prices of comparable procedures at different hospitals. This could be the state, federal or private company providing this service. Maybe it's already out there and I just can't find it.

Thank you for this presentation. Things must change.

In my country, the medical bills in public hospitals are so much cheap. And they paid a very cheap salary for doctors and nurses in public hospital. We even can't afford for the basic demand in our life.

He was great in P.O.D.!

Why aren´t there demonstrations about this billing practaces all time all around the U.S.? I have seen now so many videos about this topic. I really do not understand it.

This gives me the willys. Here in Europe it's WAY better, but the general trend to privatize public goods and to commercialize every aspect of life takes place here as well.

In Thailand, our developing country, has universal health care coverage since 2002. Although some expensive drugs (such as immunotherapy etc.) are not in the coverage but basically most of the essential drugs, investigations, and treatments are in the coverage. It’s one of the few good things in this developing country.

I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when I was 18-years old. I am turning 40 next year, and still have not recovered financially as my ability to seek credit and loans was ripped from my grasp before I even had a chance at adulthood.

Civilised countries should, and do, provide free health care and education.

paid €240 for an MRI of my spine in Portugal including consultation in a private hospital. In the UK even cheaper -£0! Doctors here in Europe are not on the breadline either.

I am unable to pay more than $350,- in medical expenses a year. If I forget, and for instance pay for prescription drugs at the pharmacy, or an MRI at the hospital, the money is refunded to my account before I get home. I have no medical expenses for my children, even their annual appointment at the dentist is free. For this I pay *less in taxes* than the average American, while I don't have to worry about having medical insurance.

My dad has been in hospital many, many times. Heart surgery was 6 digits before insurance. ER bill (no diagnosis) was thousands. I knew someone who had a scan and it was 18k after insurance. To me it's insane. I can't stand that healthcare is a business.

We are out of our minds to give all the money to insurance companies, who then control the care (and cost) of the services we receive. Get the government and corporations out of medicine.

You really shouldn't have to know the price at all. Mostly every other developed nation has free health care, but of course the US sees that as "weakness" vs. equality.

@4:34 It shouldn't be prices first. You shouldn't have to decide whether or not you're going to have the shrapnel removed from your leg or get reconstructive surgery or PT for an amputation. The price of health care costs way too much in this country. And if insurance can't cover you completely for injuries sustained during a terrorist attack (or during a pandemic like the individual with COVID bills) then what is it good for?

Here's a phrase you don't hear anymore: Sacred Trust

Price transparency has many ethical topics that are very important. The first one being patient autonomy. By having price transparency, this allows the patient to have more information they may need to make an informed decision about their healthcare. Hospitals should not only see this as a legal right to the patient but also a moral right. Patients need to know the prices of certain procedures so that they can make the decision of whether or not they want to undergo the procedure. I can understand how explaining the risks and benefits of a procedure is a huge factor of allowing the patient to make an informed decision. But the cost of that procedure should also be included. Some procedures may not need to be done right away so this would allow for the patient to make financial plans. They will know what to expect and not be overwhelmed with a sudden large hospital bill. But what if the patient is not able to know of the price due to it being a medical emergency or what if the patient must make the decision to go through with the procedure because it will save their life? I agree with what was said in the video that with price transparency, this will promote competition and help lower costs of procedures. The competition and, more importantly, the regulation of prices can also help with healthcare disparities. Because hospital prices can vary in different regions, some patients have no other choice but to pay for whatever the closest hospital to them is charging. So again, with the price transparency will allow the patient to know they are getting the best price for their care or make arrangements to travel to a hospital that they can afford. I’m sure there are many other complex considerations that must be made. However, I still think it is important for hospitals to have price transparency for their patients, especially, if it is a federal law. That must then come down to the transparency being enforced.

No better image of a nation that's lost its way than US healthcare. Out of control behemoth that in spite of being far and away the most expensive system of healthcare ever built it lags behind dozens of other national systems.

When I got my covid shot I had a complication... my free covid shot wound up costing me multiple thousands of dollars after an ambulance ride. I had no choice but to pay when I got collection calls.

Cheaper for the hospital to pay the fine then comply with the law. I am glad that I live in the UK but even our services are definitely not far from great that's for sure!

Because if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it. And insurance don't have to pay the listed price but personal payment has to.

Lemme get a rack of BBQ ribs sauce on the side, cole slaw, small caesar salad, and iced tea no sugar. Lemme get one car accident treatment, I brought my own gown, I already have crutches, and hold the MRI please.

Don't tell me that it is about freedom to have any price tag, freedom to be insured, freedom to chose to get medical treatment...

I just visited PCP for annual exam today, I was absolutely shocked by the way doctor was pushing me to get a surgery for DNS done here in U.S, in spite of a specialist in the area (ENT) specifically recommended not to, back in India. We went back and forth debating, I gave several references and informed other doctors opinion. However, it didn't hold much weight as the other doctor's recommendation was from outside the U.S. What she did was a bit outside the line, a doctor who is suppose to be relied up on is absolutely treating patients by putting patient's health at risk over profits. These corporates/doctors have gone too far.

The actual MRI cost 110 euro. With the doctor's referal and the specialist's diagosis plus tax it was 246 euro.

It’s not just hospitals. The insurance companies must also share the blame. They set rates they’ll pay for procedures which are under the “going rate.” That just creates miscoding and lack of transparency in healthcare pricing. Then they each point the finger at the other claiming they’re the greedy party. So many of my docs have just gone into concierge practices or retired in the last 5 years. We’re in an escalating crisis. One solution: put your healthcare dollars to work in functional medicine to stay well and only use traditional medicine for 911s.

Hospitals gouge bc insurance lowballs. I had to pay $1500 for collarbone X-rays after insurance “paid” a $35,000 bill.

There’s a hospital in network just 3 miles from a hospital completely out of my network. If I where to have some kind of accident I’m afraid I won’t be able to choose my care and possibly become bankrupt

same things happen everywhere.. Profits are fine and should be there to sustain the medical ecosystem.. Indian ecosystem is little better in terms of cost vs value but problems of tranperancy and reach of healthcare is there

what I learn is that even if we did have Medicare for all, it will still be meaningless if there isn't funding or enforcement based upon this video and the video on Mental health from LastWeek Tonight

We all know the effects, but we don't know all the causes we need to understand to create a solution. It would be a more useful if there were a cogent presentation of the impact of managed care contracting and how hospitals don't necessarily know what the price is because of the hundreds of different plans and payor programs, government program formulas, and tiered reimbursement arrangements.

Why don’t we talk about the root problem? It’s the lobbying industry. How are corporations able to get bill so lopsidedly in their favor? You can’t claim yourself a democracy if your laws are dictated by corporations.

Too many people spend money they earned..to buy things they don't want..to impress people that they don't like. --Will Rogers...

F living in the US Canada is better in almost every way - especially health care

In England and Canada they are free.

It’s an important topic but why is there so much focus on that photographer…. Do we really to see ten different angles and zoom-in shots of him shooting the subjects when we should be focusing on those subjects

God Bless Canada 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

This is a very old story. Hospitals are companies, sometimes companies owned by other companies or universities, that are companies. They say that in the USA, people has the power. I know this country, from a very long time and nothing has never changed when you talk about homelessness, medical care, veterans, university debts and more. Where is the power? It is in the only place where you can't get in, where congressmen and senators do their interests. But lobbyists can get in, infact you can find their offices inside the buildings and it's legal. In the rest of the world it is completely illegal. Curious. So, Americans, why don't you start doing things as you should have done a long time ago? Start a national petition, collecting 1,000,000 signs. After you go for 3,000,000 and then to 5,000,000 and you go on. Give the petition to your most important representative and tell him or her that if they are not going to move the wheel in favour of the tax payers, your will give back your election cards, for good. Politicians need votes to exist or survive. Find the weak spot in the supply chain and try to have a dialogue. Insurances, hospitals and big pharma, are not enemies, they are just incredibly rich and greedy, cause they can be. Laws have been shaped to give them an advantage in your system. Don't forget that the US government, is the only one in all the western world to do not negotiate the price of the drugs with the pharma companies. There is no limit. Why? It has no sense. Just with a negotiated maximum price, you would see a significant cut of your insurance, every year. The only politicians that are fighting against all this are Warren, Sanders and Ocasio. If you are not voting for them, you are voting for your insurance, for the hospitals and the richest 4% in your country. Take action and take your side.

I am portuguese, this is otterly unthinkable here...

Transparency

I said it countless times and I'll say it again: US is basically the wealthiest third world country. I cannot imagine how this can still be a thing in a developed, western country.

Seeing Kanye at the beginning 💀

NECESSARIO AGIRE PRIMA CHE ARRIVA IL FUOCO O CONTIAMO I NUMERI-🔥

Dam fuxk hospital costs

So ask for the price? You can't talk? Why can't you ask for the price before the procedure?

I'll never Pay untill the Senate get involved.

MEDICARE FOR ALL NOW!

diagossic?diagnosis?

They MRI your wallet to see how much you can afford.

#SaveSoil Reverse climate change right now!

I feel like the "opinion" moniker could be removed if there were more hard-line facts presented here. The legitimacy of the problem is kinda undercut by your whole attitude like, "wait wait this is just some guy's opinion, don't take it too seriously and also the company as a whole believes in none of this". It really takes away from the power these words have. Beautifully shot, well-spoken, but this type of rhetoric is often used to back up preexisting beliefs, and the odds of this Opinion influencing many other's beliefs are slim, in my opinion.

As always I want to say thanks for the fine journalism of everyone on the NYT staff. I’m working on a construction site and our porta-potty was all out of toilet paper. Luckily one of your paper delivery specialists dropped off a fresh new copy of the New York Times, and we were able to use it for its only useful purpose. Keep up the good work! If your corporate activism… er, I mean journalism… continues to improve, I will also consider using your sleazy propaganda rags to line the bird cage.

The greatest country in the world. God's own country.

THIS IS AMERICA...

Yeah well. America: the country where people just exist to make companies money

Within 5 seconds of watching this I can see how misleading this is. I have so many questions: what type of insurance are we talking about, are these self-pay? If you are low income you have state Medicaid which is cost nothing for the patient…you can’t talk about hospitals without talking about insurance. What these people are saying doesn’t make sense to me, this is not the full story

Insurance companies should demand prices for procedures or refuse to pay.

This is buying off your body

the hospital sucks!