Most of us comparison shop when we need a new appliance, computer or car.  But for the first time, I've tumbled into the new experience of comparison shopping to find the best deal on the cost of my medical care.  I have been utterly shocked by what I've discovered so far.

With a weeks-old Health Savings Account, my doctor determined I needed a diagnostic MRI of my head to identify the cause of a recent bout with headaches and facial numbness.  The nurse referred me the lab they usually use in an adjacent building.  With a $2,500 deductible, I knew I'd be covering the MRI cost from my HSA, so I needed to find out just how much this was going to cost me.

When the lab told me it charges $2,500 for the type of MRI I needed, I briefly lost my ability to breathe. 

With a few more questions, however, I found their insurance company "negotiated rate" was $1,500.  But, if I just wanted to pay cash and file my own insurance paperwork, the price was a mere $1,000.  For that $500 savings I was more than willing to get a stamp and an envelope and fill out forms.

Taking this hunt a step further, I got the name of a second lab from the doctor's office.  Lab B was just a couple of miles away and offered the same selection of diagnostic MRIs, X-Rays, mammograms, etc. as Lab A.   A call and a transfer to an extremely helpful operations director for pricing and I found the self-pay (cash) rate for the appropriate MRI was $600.  Yep, $600.  This was sounding like a fire sale bargain since I started out nearly two grand higher.  Then "Joan" told me the negotiated insurance company rate was just $613 (radiologist's fee included), meaning if I paid just $13 over the cash rate, they would file the insurance paperwork and the expense would count against my deductible.  They even agreed to let me split the cost over two payments.

When I shared with Joan my outrage over the huge disparity in pricing for the same test, she informed me that if I were to get the MRI across the street, inside the hospital itself, I could expect to pay between $3,000 and $4,000 dollars.  So the price range is $600 to $4,000 for an MRI in the same North Dallas neighborhood.

If you must pay part or all of your medical costs through high deductibles, low deductibles, or with no insurance at all, the time has come to start asking questions, making calls and exploring options. 

I can't make a dent in national health care policies but what I can do is make a huge difference in what my health care costs me this week and the next year, by shopping around for the best medical option available.  I would urge you to pipe up to your doctor, pick up the phone and do the same.  It's not as much fun as computer shopping but a great deal more important for you and your family in the long run.