Early final yr, Chris Privett scheduled an MRI of his aching left shoulder, absolutely ready to obtain a hefty invoice out-of-pocket invoice, as he hadn’t met his annual medical health insurance deductible but. The day after he marked that MRI on his calendar, he acquired a name from his well being insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Defend of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC), telling him he’d pay quite a bit much less—$340 much less, to be precise—if he bought precisely the identical process at one other clinic. He instantly referred to as to change his appointment to the extra reasonably priced clinic, which was situated solely a block from the place his MRI was first scheduled.
Chris’s story goes to indicate two issues: Well being care prices can fluctuate broadly amongst clinics, and it pays to cost store.
Everyone knows that well being care is simply too costly. However most individuals don’t know they’ll store for medical care the identical approach they may store for a airplane ticket or a brand new automotive.
Extra North Carolinians want Blue Cross NC over another well being insurer.1 Because the state’s most popular well being insurer, we have now a duty to assist our members discover reasonably priced, high-quality care after they want it.
As we begin 2022, listed here are 3 ways to save lots of on well being care prices this yr.
Use our price transparency instrument.
It’s laborious to imagine, however the price of many widespread procedures can fluctuate by 1000’s – in some instances tens of 1000’s – of {dollars} inside the similar metropolis. Or, as Chris discovered, on the identical avenue. When sufferers don’t have easy accessibility to this data, they’re saved at nighttime about simply how a lot care prices – and the way a lot they’ll need to pay out-of-pocket – till the ultimate invoice arrives.
Blue Cross NC believes in price transparency. In 2012, we launched a groundbreaking price comparability instrument that enables members to match the associated fee and high quality of widespread procedures earlier than they make essential care choices.
In 2015, we went a step additional and made the instrument accessible to all North Carolinians. Everybody, whether or not they’re a Blue Cross NC member or not, can shortly seek for widespread procedures like MRIs, knee replacements or mammograms and see how the associated fee varies between close by suppliers.
For instance, a seek for bariatric surgical procedure reveals the associated fee, earlier than insurance coverage, at $37,000 at one clinic, however $27,000 9 miles down the highway. That’s no small distinction, particularly in case you have an out-of-pocket deductible to fulfill.
Benefit from SmartShopper®
In 2018, we rolled out a brand new program referred to as SmartShopper, a cost-savings program that pays members to buy sure medical procedures. Eligible members can price store greater than 80 widespread procedures like colonoscopies and CT scans – two examples of procedures which have all kinds of value tags – and receives a commission money for visiting SmartShopper eligible suppliers.
One Blue Cross NC member, Martha Songayllo-Diamond, bought paid $1,000 for 2 colonoscopies utilizing SmartShopper. And, since Blue Cross NC coated the total price of each procedures, she made cash somewhat than spending cash.
Log in to Blue Connect with see in the event you’re eligible for this system, and watch the video under to be taught extra about it.
