Hacker News Reader

I agree completely that better price discovery would help the issues greatly. Many times the doctor's office will not even be able to tell you how much a procedure or medication costs until after you get it, which is nuts. If there were more competition in the medical world practices like this would quickly die out (imagine if a grocery store didn't post any prices for its items!)

View on HN

I had my nose cauterized recently for bloody noses - just one side as the doctor said we couldn't do both at once. Nearly $300 for the visit, and another $300 for the "procedure," which entails the doctor sticking a stick with some silver nitrate up your nose.

So, $600 for (at most) 10 minutes of work for the doctor, and maybe another 10 minutes for the nurse. Someone making $15 an hour would have to work an entire week for that, and for me it's over a day's worth.

People should be disgusted. The only reason they aren't is because their insurance usually covers things.

Healthcare providers are now legally required to provide cost estimates for uninsured patients.

https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers/understanding-cost...

Reply on news.ycombinator.com