Knowing the cost of a medical procedure before you get the bill

Massachusetts has taken the first step in providing costs of medical services to we mere human beings. It recently passed a law requiring that insurers offer real-time prices for those with private health insurance. The law is not perfect:

• Prices are not standard
• Posted prices may or may not include all charges
• Prices seem to change frequently.
• There is no standard list of priced tests and procedures
• The quality information is weak
• There are very few prices for inpatient care.

But it is a first step.