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Talk of the Bay

Web site lets you shop for bargain bypass

By KRIS HUNDLEY
Published July 17, 2006

Web site lets you shop for bargain bypass

This month Humana became the latest health insurer to offer its members a nifty new Web-based feature: a way to price-shop before they check in for their next hospital procedure.

Want to know what local hospitals charge for a knee operation or cardiac bypass procedure? Just pull up the Humana Web site (www.humana.com) and check out the price list on more than 30 procedures in 10 disease categories from local hospitals.

Members are asked to prioritize their searches. That leaves patients wondering whether "mortality" or a hospital's "failure to rescue" should be of greater importance. "All of the above" is not an option.

Based on the member's prefer-ences, location and medical condition, the Web site generates a list of nearby hospitals with a menu of prices.

The goal is for savvy consumers who are paying an increasing percentage of their medical bills to select the lowest-priced option, saving everyone money.

But bargain hunting has its limits. Published prices are averages only. And the prices given are based on those Humana and other powerful insurers have negotiated with the hospitals. People who have no insurance - and need low-cost procedures the worst - end up being charged the most.

- KRIS HUNDLEY, Times staff writer

[Last modified July 17, 2006, 06:01:29]