Unveiling the True Price Tags Behind Common Medical Procedures

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Shocked doesn't begin to describe our reaction when we discovered the true cost of common medical procedures. After attending an eye-opening Free Market Medical Association event in Omaha, we're pulling back the curtain on healthcare's most closely guarded secret: the massive gap between what procedures actually cost and what patients are billed.

Would you believe that your $200 comprehensive metabolic panel actually costs just $2.58 to produce? Or that the MRI you were billed $4,000 for costs independent imaging clinics only $425 to perform? The disparities don't stop there – colonoscopies priced at up to $10,000 are available through direct contracts for $1,200, while gallbladder removals costing as much as $24,000 have a true cost closer to $6,500.

The culprit behind these astronomical markups? Facilities charges that inflate prices without adding value. But there's hope on the horizon. By connecting direct primary care physicians with reasonably priced labs, imaging centers, and surgical facilities, we're creating a healthcare system that aligns incentives with patient outcomes rather than profit margins. This transparent approach is already transforming how companies and their employees access quality care without the predatory pricing that's become standard practice. Join us next time as we paint a detailed picture of what this revolutionary healthcare model looks like in practice – and how it could save you thousands while improving your care experience.

Ready to stop overpaying for healthcare? Subscribe now and discover how to navigate a system that's been deliberately designed to confuse and overcharge you. Your wallet (and your health) will thank you.

Music by Alex Lambert.

Contact Justin via text 740-525-5259 or via email [e-mail]

I welcome the opportunity to hear your feedback from this episode!

Thanks again to my musically gifted friend Alex Lambert for the music. Also thanks to Kevin Asehan for the edits.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to another Tuesday morning with Justin.
I'm Justin Futrell, benefitAdvisor at True North Companies,
and today I want to talk aboutwhat my colleague Brandon and I
learned yesterday at an event inOmaha with the Free Market
Medical Association.
Well, I want to just dive in tocost and thinking about the

(00:26):
actual costs in healthcare withfour specific examples.
When I say the name of aprocedure in healthcare, I want
you to think what is the firstthought you have as to how much
it's going to cost.
Okay, how much it's going tocost.
Okay, how much, how much it'sgoing to cost?

(00:48):
So the first categorycomprehensive metabolic lab
panel.
How much do you think it costs?
The average price is $200.

(01:08):
What's the actual cost of that?
An independent lab shared thatthe true cost is $2.58.
Okay, let's try another an MRI.
How much does an MRI cost?
Well, the average price is$4,000, all the way up to
$10,000.
Thousand dollars how much doesthat mri imaging cost?
Well, an independent imagingclinic said we charge 425

(01:29):
dollars for an mri.
Huh, colonoscopy what does acolonoscopy cost?
You know usually see $2,000 upto $10,000 for a colonoscopy.
So what's billed?
Well, we're seeing directcontracts for colonoscopies at

(01:51):
$1,200.
Very often, very commonly,throughout the country.
So the question becomes okay.
One more I said four, I promisedfour Gallbladder removal.
Gallbladder removal 12,000 to24,000.
Probably weren't very close onthat one At least I was.

(02:13):
I was like I don't know howserious this is.
Anyway.
12,000 to 24,000.
And the true cost of that is6,500.
So what's the difference?
The difference is facilitiescharges.
The last episode was on directprimary care.
Imagine if direct primary carein a clinic a team that has

(02:36):
aligned incentives with you andwanting to take care of you and
wanting to lead you to differentpieces of the healthcare system
, who are not egregiouslybilling us.
Imagine if your direct primarycare could then steer you to
these places.
We just talked about Anindependent lab.

(02:56):
If you need a blood draw, animaging clinic that's reasonably
priced, a procedure likegallbladder if you need it, it's
not marked up two or threetimes higher.
This is the healthcare systemthat we're creating for
companies and their people.
In the next episode, I want topaint a picture for you of what

(03:18):
that actually looks like.