Georgia Gets Failing Grade in Health Care Price Transparency

Georgia is one of 29 states to receive a failing grade for price transparency in health care in a study released Monday, March 18.  

"... with recent studies showing us that the price for an identical procedure within a market can vary seven-fold with no demonstrable difference in quality, price transparency is more important than ever," Francois de Brantes, executive director for the Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute, and Suzanne Delbanco, executive director for Catalyst for Payment Reform, say in a letter introducing the study. "American consumers deserve to have as much information about the quality and price of their health care as they do about restaurants, cars, and household appliances." 

Do you think health care costs should be more transparent?  Share your comments and experiences in the comments below.

The study reviewed state-specific laws focused on price transparency for health care. Only two states, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, received an A, while just five states, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Virginia and Wisconsin, received Bs. Click here to check out the full report. 

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, "The mystery surrounding health-care pricing stems partly from the fact that hospitals and other providers generally don’t publicize how much they’re paid for services, which varies depending on who’s footing the bill."