Health care prices in the US are growing at a rate that well exceeds the rate of inflation and total healthcare expenditures exceed $2.3 trillion (2008).http://www.kaiseredu.org/topics_im.asp?imID=1&parentID=61&id=358 Finding a solution to the health care crisis is beyond the scope of this page. Instead, the goal is to help consumers and patients find out the cost of healthcare so they can find the best healthcare prices and make informed decisions. Consumers are increasingly paying more out-of-pocket costs for their healthcare so they need to be aware of the cost of healthcare. There is significant variation in prices such as a CT scan recently reported to range between $550 and $3,232.http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_health_news_details.asp?news_id=30111&news_channel_id=131&channel_id=131 The caveat on this page is that only general pricing trends and advice can be provided. The specific prices vary by region and as always consult your physician.

The first step is to find out the options for care from your physician and the recommended treatment. Have your physician write out the specific treatments or tests required. Use this information to call various health care providers as prices vary. Your insurance status is likely to influence the rate. Make sure you provide the provider this information.

A good place to start in finding the lowest health care prices is the Healthcare Blue Book which goes by the moniker "Solutions for Fair Healthcare Pricing". This website has a growing list of treatments/tests and providers of these services. The US Congress is trying to pass the bill The Transparency in All Health Care Pricing Act of 2010. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1978760,00.html

Defensive medicine is on the rise with U.S. physicians estimating that 26% of health care costs are to protect themselves from lawsuits.http://www.news-medical.net/news/20100220/Study-Physicians-attribute-2625-of-overall-healthcare-costs-to-the-practice-of-defensive-medicine.aspx Check with your physician the risks and benefits of any treatment or test being recommended. Unfortunately most physicians don't have access to the prices of treatment. Healthcare providers like hospitals may also be reluctant to provide pricing information in advance. It is important to be insistent on learning at least a range of prices as surgery cost is very expensive.

The medical loss ratio (MLR) is at best 75% in most states in 2009 for the individual insurance market. This means insurance companies take 25 cents of every healthcare dollar for profit, marketing, and administrative expenses.http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/medical-loss-ratio.pdf The MLR is about 5% higher for large group plans due to the lower costs of marketing.

According to a MSNBC Keith Olbermann report, Openheimer Investment Bank wrote in note to client that the 80-85% medical loss ratio "was 'workable' for insurers, especially if they can label certain items that count as corporate expenses for accounting purposes as health care for purposes of meeting the spending minimum."http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd6GTgUlNWs The analyst was referring to language in the US Senate health reform package in December 2009.

Medical tourism has risen to countries where healthcare is significantly cheaper and the consumer has to pay much of the costs such as elective surgery. Some companies are even compensating employees who choose to take advantage of lower price surgical operations in other countries.http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/26/cheaper.surgery/index.html?hpt=Sbin However, price alone should not be the primary consideration but the quality of care. Due diligence on the part of the prospective patient is an absolute necessity.

Medical imaging costs for cancer patients rose 5 to 10 percent annually even though total Medicare costs for them rose only 2 to 5 percent per year. Higher utilization was reason citedhttp://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/medical-imaging-costs-cancer-patients-soar/2010-04-28

Lack of evidence-based medicine and 30% of procedures being unnecessary are areas that haven't been addressed adequately in US Healthcare reform.http://www.dailypress.com/news/opinion/dp-op_medicarebernd_0509may09,0,1305286.story/ref.

Conventional wisdom says that if patients knew the price of healthcare services they would seek out the lowest cost. A House Subcommittee was reminded that price transparency can work the other way. In concentrated markets, providers might raise their prices so as not to be the lowest.http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2010/05/07/could-too-much-transparency-lead-to-higher-health-prices/