[repeek]

There are several companies that aggregate this data -- the industry term is "Cost Transparency". Amino, Castlight, Healthcare Bluebook, Change Healthcare, Vitals are all players in Cost Transparency.

I bet if you logged into your health insurance portal you'd find a cost transparency tool that could give you a reasonable estimate of what a common procedure would cost.

The unfortunate truth is price doesn't really matter.

1 - Insurers have negotiated rates with providers. They don't want that information shared.

2 - There aren't that many "shoppable" procedures. Shoppable = you're going to make a conscious decision to find the best possible price. Most common were major, non-emergency surgeries like hip or knee replacements or small stuff like imaging. Once you're in the actual care "flow", its highly unlikely to tell the doctor "how much will that MRI cost me? Let me check this app to drive across town and save $20."

3 - For all the talk about consumer demand for cost transparency, Cost is low on the list when it comes to determining if/where to get care. Quality, Availability (accepting new patients, how soon can they see me), Word of Mouth (friend/family recommended), matter more. Largely because....

4 - After a certain point (i.e. once I've hit my deductible) consumers don't care about cost as long as they're in-network.

(former PM of cost transparency application)

[kstrauser]

I somewhat disagree about #2: you can (and I have) ask your doctor to get an MRI or X-ray from a standalone imaging center rather than a hospital. That alone can shave about 60% off your bill. The "but only somewhat" part is that if your doctor really prefers a certain imaging provider, they may steer you in that direction. Ultimately, though, it's your call.

Disclosure: I work at Amino, but I'm speaking from personal experience and not for them.