Half of Coloradoans Unsure About Cost of Care and How to Fix A Billing Error

By Consumers for Quality Care, on October 16, 2024

Although most Coloradoans are confident in following a doctor’s direction, they are much less confident about how to find out the cost of their care beforehand or about how to resolve an incorrect medical bill, according to results from the Consumer Healthcare Experience State Survey and reported by The Denver Post.

Only 55 percent of respondents were confident in selecting the right medical insurance plan for them, and only half believed that they could successfully dispute a medical bill. Roughly half thought they would be able to research the correct cost of a service or procedure.

Mannat Singh, Executive Director of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, found these results discouraging but not surprising, adding that “the system is deliberately convoluted and opaque” meant to intentionally confuse consumers.

Colorado has instituted consumer-friendly measures such as recently unveiling a transparency tool meant to make it easier to calculate medical services and procedures. Unfortunately, hospitals have uploaded incomplete or confusing information to this portal.

The study also found that not all consumers are well versed in how their health insurance works, what is covered, and what they can expect in out-of-pocket costs.

Consumers who are issued a surprise medical bill may explore various avenues to contest the charge, but only a quarter say they are successful in resolving the billing dispute. Most consumers reported paying the bill anyway, even if they knew it was incorrect, because they feared going into debt or being unable to access care with an outstanding bill to their name. Singh says that this makes the health care system more inhospitable to consumers. “The onus should not be on the consumer to fight,” said Singh.

Surprising and confusing medical bills harm patients and sometimes prevent them from accessing the care that they need. Consumers for Quality Care believes patients should have a right to the information they need to compare costs and make informed decisions about their health care. Additionally, hospitals and insurers should be held accountable when they fail to provide this information.