Hospitals: Is the Price Right?

A Look At Hospital Pricing For The Uninsured

(CBS) 

While she says hospitals didn’t create the problem, Coyle says in the last year, hospitals have begun to adopt policies which give some discounts to some of the uninsured.

"There are 5,000 hospitals in this country that care for over 100 million patients every year, and they’re doing the right thing," she says.

60 Minutes got a different perspective from Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa. The Senate Finance Committee, which he heads, is investigating hospital charges and collection practices.

Asked how widespread the problem is with the uninsured, Sen. Grassley says, "From media reports, from advocate groups, from individuals and from my own investigation, I think it’s very, very widespread. It’s an institutional bias against uninsured people. And it's something to be outraged about."

But Coyle disagrees. "The senator is very knowledgeable in health care issues. But what’s going on in hospitals is nothing of the sort," she says.

Asked if she's saying the senator is wrong, Coyle says, "I’m saying that the face of what’s going on in health care has changed dramatically, literally in the last year."

"What I’m told by the hospital association is 'Please understand, we’re making changes. We have quote — new policies — that are dealing with this.' Am I to believe that?" Rather asked Grassley.

"I've been told that they were going to do that. They've told me that. I haven’t seen the changes I ought to see. But if I don’t see it very, very soon, we’ll probably be doing some legislating in that area," the senator replied.

Sen. Grassley is considering legislation that would require hospitals to do better by the uninsured. But while government and the health care industry wrestle with the problem, people like Scott and Lisa Starbuck just want to find a way out of their own personal crisis.

"I feel like I do owe money. And I do want to pay it. And I’m not looking for charity, not trying to get indigent care or anything like that. I just want to work out a reasonable payment," says Scott.

"And pay a reasonable price. That’s the main thing," Lisa added.

After Rather interviewed the Starbucks and the Ferlinis, 60 Minutes called the hospitals where they were treated and they re-examined both cases.

UT Medical Center has now reduced Scott Starbuck’s $41,000 bill by 25 percent. St. Joseph’s Hospital, which billed Carlos Ferlini $246,000, now says Ferlini qualifies for the hospital's Charity Care Program, which would pay for his hospitalization.