5 Cures for High Medical Bills

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/5-cures-for-high-medical-bills-2012-08-28

Just as the health-care system prepares for an influx of newly insured patients, some consumers are facing hefty doctor bills that they weren’t expecting.

As the Wall Street Journal reported this week, the higher costs reflect a bigger trend in medicine. As more hospitals buy up private physician practices, they’re often able to charge higher rates than those doctors’ offices formerly charged—sometimes more than twice as much for the same procedures.

Since insurance plans typically cover a fixed percentage of a doctor’s bill, the patients’ out-of-pocket costs often go up as the total bill gets higher.