Cost variation continues to be a huge problem:
In South Florida, Aetna reports, the negotiated rates — the real rates insurers pay — vary widely right now. Knee arthroscopy in an orthopedist’s office can cost from $1,922 to $4,000. For a hysteroscopy (the insertion of a small telescope to study a uterus) at an OB/GYN office, the price ranges from $1,200 to $4,756. For a heart catheterization, at a cardiology office, the price ranges from $600 to $2,500.Of course, top doctors charging more might explain those variations, but what explains differences in radiology tests, such as a magnetic resonance imaging?
“These are commodities,” says Mondy of Cigna. “An MRI is an MRI is an MRI.” But Cigna’s studies show that their costs vary by an average of 30 percent.
An MRI without contrast agent at the Cleveland Clinic in Weston costs $400 in Cigna’s negotiated fees. Broward General’s price is $450. Hollywood Medical Center charges $660.
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