Latest news with #JulieMenin
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
PatientRightsAdvocate.org Launches New York City Hospital Price Finder
New York City patients empowered to compare prices, save on care, fight surprise bills NEW YORK, May 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, (PRA) announced the New York City Hospital Price Finder Tool, empowering all who are treated in New York City hospitals with free access to all available prices so they can compare, prevent overcharges, and have recourse for surprise bills. Patients, employers, unions, and researchers in New York City are now able to search all posted prices by hospital, procedure, plan, and code at "The New York City Hospital Price Finder Tool is a huge step for New York City healthcare consumers, who have long suffered from hidden healthcare prices, kept secret by hospitals and insurers alike," said Cynthia Fisher, Founder and Chairman of PRA. "This tool will enable patients to easily compare actual prices, including discounted cash rates, and choose the best care at a price they can afford. Now, patients will have financial certainty as well as safeguards when their bill doesn't match the price, to protect them from overcharges." In December 2022, New York City Council Member Julie Menin sponsored Intro. 844-A to establish the nation's first Office of Health Care Accountability to equip New Yorkers with the upfront pricing information needed for healthcare decisions. In June 2023, the legislation passed unanimously and was signed into law. "New Yorkers will no longer live in fear that medical care will put them in financial ruin. Following our work to establish the Office of Health Care Accountability, this tool is the next step to provide New Yorkers with the resources needed to find the highest quality of care at the best price," said New York City Council Member Julie Menin. "Now, patients can easily research ahead of medical decisions with peace of mind that New York City will enforce price transparency to safeguard their physical and financial well-being." For many patients, this tool would have made an enormous difference. The Singh family of New York City is speaking out on the value of this service. "With upfront and real prices, we would have been able to make an informed decision on how best to proceed with our son's treatments to best help his physical health and our family's financial health. If we had been able to compare in advance, we would have been willing to drive a little further, or perhaps even had a better option nearby, to avoid the tremendous debt that has burdened our family throughout an incredibly vulnerable time," said Shameeza Singh. "We hope this tool will be a powerful resource for every patient in New York City so that devastating medical debt stories are no more and families can instead fully focus on treatment and recovery." The first of its kind in New York City, PRA recently introduced a similar tool in Colorado and has plans to continue expanding resources for patients across the country. "Healthcare price transparency will deliver high quality care at lower costs for patients, but that starts with easy access to prices. The New York City Hospital Price Finder will allow New Yorkers to quickly compare healthcare prices across the city," said Manny Pastreich, President of 32BJ SEIU. "We need real transparency and accountability to make informed decisions and lower costs, and this resource is a strong step in that direction." View more photos here. View Council Member Menin's remarks here. (PRA) is a leading national healthcare price transparency organization dedicated to ushering in systemwide transparency through advocacy, testimony, media, legal research, and grassroots campaigns. PRA believes that the availability and visibility of actual, upfront healthcare prices will greatly lower costs for patients and employers through a functional, competitive healthcare marketplace. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Patient Rights Advocate
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Anthem Blue Cross to release data officials hope will help NYC crack down on soaring health care costs, saving $2B yearly
The Big Apple's largest public-employee insurer has agreed to provide previously redacted healthcare data that could help rein in astronomical prices New York hospitals charge patients, The Post has learned. Anthem Blue Cross' sudden change of heart Saturday came a week after The Post reported on the flawed 263-page report by the city Health Department's new Office of Healthcare Accountability, which found wild price inconsistencies across city hospitals. For example, a colonoscopy may run $940 at one hospital and $12,000 in another. Same for a cesarean-section delivery, which ranged from $7,000 to $58,000. The study – which focused on payments made through Anthem, and not private-sector insurance plans– also had gaping holes in it, and it accused Anthem of violating the law by failing to provide the OHA with data needed to provide a complete picture of the price inconsistencies. Anthem agreed to release previously redacted data following a virtual meeting Friday with Councilwoman Julie Menin (D-Manhattan), who sponsored the legislation creating the first-of-its-kind healthcare watchdog office in 2023. 'We are very pleased to have reached this agreement with Anthem to release this missing healthcare transparency data that will once and for all allow New Yorkers to know what hospitals are charging for all medical procedures and enable [NYC] to potentially save upwards of $2 billion a year by harnessing its purchasing power to drive down costs,' said Menin. The OHA is now expected to issue a revised report with the new numbers to give the city critical information needed to help negotiate cheaper prices for healthcare, Menin added. The insurer set up the meeting following the Post's coverage of the flawed OHA report, which included Menin ripping Anthem's decision to withhold data as 'a slap in the face to the City of New York.' 'We believe in pricing transparency and will continue to work with our partners within city government, organized labor, and our provider community to ensure we are investigating all avenues for continued savings for the employees of New York City and their families,' said Victor DeStefano, president of Anthem's New York plan. Anthem — which the city pays a whopping $3 billion yearly to provide insurance to roughly 900,000 employees – had previously claimed releasing some of the pricing data would violate confidentiality agreements that predate both a 2021 federal rule and a 2023 city law requiring hospitals to disclose their prices to the public. The insurer, however, denies violating any laws but agrees the additional data will enhance the value of future OHA reports. The city's GHI-Comprehensive Benefits Plan through Anthem paid on average $45,150 for inpatient services last fiscal year at New York's top 10 hospital systems, the OHA report said. The highest prices for full in-patient treatment were at New York-Presbyterian ($92,727) and Montefiore Medical Center ($83,573), while Stony Brook University Hospital was the lowest ($36,876). The Post two years ago reported on analyses by 32BJ SEIU, the city's building-services employee union, showing the Big Apple could save taxpayers as much as $2 billion annually by auditing exactly how much municipal workers pay for care at various hospitals and making recommendations on ways to lower the prices. 'All along we've said that access to transparent data allows us to be better consumers,' said Henry Garrido, executive director of District Council, the city's largest municipal employee union. 'We appreciate Anthem doing the right thing and working with us to release the data for city worker healthcare costs.' Anthem's decision to turn over the data also came after NYC Comptroller Brad Lander separately sent the insurance provider a scathing letter Wednesday demanding full transparency. Prior to Anthem's reversal, Lander, through a spokesperson, threatened to probe the insurer. 'The office is prepared to exercise its investigative powers to get to the bottom of this,' Lander's spokesperson Oluwatona Campbell told The Post Friday. 'New Yorkers deserve hospitals that prioritize care over profits and a healthcare system that's transparent, equitable, and worthy of their trust.'
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Anthem Blue Cross under fire for ‘refusing to' help NYC crack down on soaring health care costs, new report shows
An inaugural report by the New York City Health Department aimed at cracking down on sky-high prices hospitals charge patients has gaping holes in it because the Big Apple's largest public-employee insurer refuses to turn over records, officials said. The 263-page report quietly released Friday through the agency's new Office of Healthcare Accountability says hospital prices are wildly inconsistent. The study focused on payments made through the city's health care provider, Anthem Blue Cross, and not private-sector insurance plans. The city's GHI-Comprehensive Benefits Plan through Anthem paid on average $45,150 for inpatient services last fiscal year at New York's top 10 hospital systems, the report said. The highest prices for full in-patient treatment were at New York-Presbyterian ($92,727) and Montefiore Medical Center ($83,573), while Stony Brook University Hospital was the lowest ($36,876). The report noted the city spent $3.3 billion paying for employee hospital care during the fiscal year ending June 30, and half went to three hospital systems: Northwell Health ($759 million), New York-Presbyterian ($485 million) and NYU Langone Health ($443 million). New York-Presbyterian had the highest prices for 11 of 12 inpatient procedures analyzed and 14 of 27 outpatient procedures, the report said. Prices at hospital systems ranged widely, from $940 to $12,000 for a colonoscopy, and $7,000 to $58,000 for a cesarean-section delivery. And the city is now spending more on hospital outpatient care than inpatient. The report cited Anthem — which the city pays a whopping $3 billion yearly to provide insurance to roughly 900,000 employees — for refusing to provide the OFA the full costs of health care at hospitals and other data it needs to determine whether these prices are warranted. Anthem claimed releasing some of the pricing data would violate confidentiality agreements it has with hospitals that predate a 2021 federal rule requiring hospitals to disclose their prices to the public. However, Councilwoman Julie Menin (D-Manhattan), who sponsored legislation creating the first-of-its-kind health care watchdog office in 2023, isn't buying it. 'It's a slap in the face to the City of New York when federal rules require hospital pricing be made public, but Anthem won't comply with city law due to so-called 'preexisting agreements,'' she said. 'This health care industry cat-and-mouse game is costing the city billions, and we need full transparency now.' 'It's so distressing to see these prices,' added Menin. 'It's extremely high and is why we need price transparency. Why should New York City be paying so much for health care? It's sickening and unsustainable.' The city's health care insurance contract is up later this year, and the city 'must require full disclosure of pricing' to whoever gets it,' said Menin. Anthem is among the bidders for the new deal. The Post two years ago reported on analyses by 32BJ SEIU, the city's building-services employee union, showing the Big Apple could save taxpayers as much as $2 billion annually by auditing exactly how much municipal workers pay for care at various hospitals and making recommendations on ways to lower the prices. Manny Pastreich, president of 32BJ, said his union pushed hard to create the OFA but added it's unfortunate the 'inaugural report is more noteworthy for what is missing.' 'It's clear that hospitals and insurers are still exerting their influence to block sharing certain data the city needs to reverse the trend of exorbitant health care costs,' he said. The OFA was created in large part to offer greater transparency to patients on costs of medical procedures at a private hospital vs. city-run medical facilities as it has the authority to publicly release hospital pricing citywide. It operates with a $2 million budget and 15 staffers. 'Health insurance companies and New York City hospitals must remove arbitrary barriers to data access that would otherwise support transparent and equitable pricing of medical services,' said Henry Garrido, executive director of District Council 37, the city's largest municipal employee union. 'We must utilize every tool at our disposal to fight these unfair practices, including ensuring the Office of Healthcare Accountability is adequately staffed to fulfill its primary purpose of tackling disparity pricing that exploits the vulnerabilities of New Yorkers in need of care.' Anthem reps did not immediately return messages.
