Marion mom finds big savings on kids' surgeries

Marion mom Michele Brock has twice gone on cost-comparison missions for health care, and both times it saved her family money.

In 2007, daughter Jackie, then 7, needed a tonsillectomy and adenoid removal. In January this year, daughter Jillian, then 10 months, needed ear tubes.

Saddled with a high-deductible insurance plan, her family's out-of-pocket costs would be substantial. Comparison shopping for quality care, however, saved Brock and her husband $1,600 to $1,800 overall.

There was no one-stop shopping in either case, only checking with physicians, clinics, hospitals; support resources, such as the Iowa Hospital Association website; and her husband's insurance company.

Success depended upon her resourcefulness, persistence and the cooperation of others.

Facility fees are typically the biggest expense for surgical procedures. So Brock started with the billing departments of three Cedar Rapids providers - Mercy Medical Center, St. Luke's Hospital and the Surgery Center.

“Four years ago, one facility couldn't tell me what the costs would entail, another gave me a range and a third told me exactly what it would be - and they were right when I got the bill,” she said.

“Quality being the first measure and comparatively equal” among the facilities, Brock said, she chose the one with the lowest out-of-pocket costs for her family.

Brock said her experience this year revealed how provider responsiveness has changed.

“When I called four years ago, this was so new that in some instances I was directed to many different areas until someone could help me,” she said. “Now, facilities are ready and have designated people to answer these types of questions.”

She chose the same facility this year.

“When I called them this time, they were able to tell me again what the cost would be with our insurance plan.”

Her research also involved comparing costs on the Iowa Hospital Association website and talking to her husband's insurance company.

“I'd say speaking to the actual providers of services themselves was the most helpful, because they can take your insurance information, take their costs, take the contractual agreement they have for your insurance and give you either an exact cost or a specific range,” she said.

“The insurance company won't necessarily know or be able to tell what the hospital is charging, and the IHA site is just an estimate to get an idea of costs since it doesn't know specific insurance plans,” she said.

Brock believes more people will shop around.

“As health care costs continue to go up … I think consumers and business owners have a vested interest in being part of the solution,” Brock said. “Looking into this was one way for me to learn more about the issue and about how that provider-insurance-consumer triangle interacts.”