Big Cost Information Disclosure By Insurers

Aetna, Assurant Health, Humana and UnitedHealthcare released state and local cost information for about 70 common health conditions and services at the end of February.

Health Care Cost Institute and Guroo.com

The information was released by the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI), a non-profit organization through their consumer website called, Guroo. The data is based on claims from more than 40 million insured individuals. Guroo claims on its website that the data is, “The biggest collection of cost information…at your fingertips, so you know what care really costs.”

“Well not exactly, ” wrote Joseph Burns, a Massachusetts journalist on the Association of Health Care Journalists on February 26, 2015.

Burns cites a Jason Millman Washington Post story that reports that the site doesn’t break down what a consumer pays for services versus what the insurer pays. HCCI executive director David Newman reportedly said it was better to think of the price platform as more of a guide.

According to Modern Healthcare, consumers will be able to identify the low, average and high prices in each market. They will also see prices for office visits, laboratory and diagnostic tests, and other services and procedures, but will find comparison-shopping a challenge.

Millman reported that Guroo lacks robust information from eight states and some parts of California.

But since four large insurers joined in releasing the data, Burns said the HCCI Initiative is an important start. All payers have been invited to join the initiative and others are expected to follow this year.

Tom Beauregard, executive vice president of UnitedHealth Group, reportedly said HCCI is going to use this data to ultimately create a national “source of truth” for consumers. HCCI plans to add data on quality and on the cost of medications.

Newman told the Post that HCCI plans to provide personal information on out-of-pocket costs for consumers with one of HCCI’s participating health plans later in 2015. Newman said HCCI also plans to add government claims data, a Spanish-language version, and wants to link price and quality information.

The release of cost-transparency data seems to be gaining some momentum, wrote Burns. This past January, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services published what it called, “the most current price information” from hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. Burns continues that North Carolina joins Maine and Massachusetts as the only states that publish price data on the web, according to last year’s Report Card on State Transparency Laws from the Catalyst for Payment Reform and the Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute.

“Knee Pain” Search

We searched the Guroo.com website for “knee pain” with seven results. We picked “knee arthroscopy with meniscus surgery.” The “Care Bundle” for that surgery would be $6, 767, including the initial office visit with the primary care physician, knee MRI, repair or removal of meniscus and physical therapy. The site also compares national to state and local prices. There were also detailed prices of each care item.

Click here to go to Guroo.com and see what they are telling consumers about prices in your area.