Before you leave the doctor’s office, you know you're going to get a hefty bill. I found a way for you to plan and save.
The two sites are called Healthcarebluebook.com and Fairhealthconsumer.org.
Sadly some doctors, hospitals and labs won't tell you upfront what a procedure will cost. But these two websites will help you figure it out.
The websites give you an idea of what you should expect to pay and offers advice on how you can bring the costs down.
Healthcarebluebook.com is really easy to use. There are several categories including hospital, X-rays, even dental. You can pick a category or simply type your procedure in the search bar.
So for example, I looked up the cost for a chest ultrasound in the zip code 85008. The site shows you should expect to pay $140. What I like even more about this site is that it tells you when you need certain tests and when you don't. Plus it gives you advice as to ways to pay a little less.
At Fairhealthconsumer.org I looked up dental costs for a cleaning. The site tells me to expect to pay $98 and it also gives me the medical code. I called a local dental office and sure enough the price was close $84.
So both sites are very helpful for planning. Keep in mind that different insurance companies negotiate different prices so these costs won't be exact, but they will give you a good idea.
It doesn't hurt to try to negotiate the bill. Call the provider and ask them if they can lower it. You can also ask if the provider will give you a discount for paying cash.
