I asked for hospital prices and got a police visit instead

Parents will do anything to help their sick or injured child. Sadly, the American healthcare system often takes advantage of our desperation to overcharge and profiteer. Healthcare price transparency is urgently needed to protect families like mine and restore trust in the medical system. This Congress has the opportunity to deliver it.

Consider my story. My 18-month-old son slipped and broke his leg. He received the standard of care from a Los Angeles pediatrician, but I wanted a second opinion. The subsequent physician we saw in Long Beach dismissed the pediatrician’s treatment and said my son needed rushed spica cast surgery via the emergency room.

This was a stressful situation. I had two medical opinions from respected doctors, one conventional and one aggressive, and I didn’t know what to do. To help inform my decision, I asked the hospital staff for the price of the spica cast procedure. I had no idea whether it would cost $500 or $50,000.

But when I tried to get basic price information, nurses and staff were incredulous and even hostile. They gaslit me into thinking I was crazy for merely asking for the price. They acted like I was nickel-and-diming over Angels tickets, not inquiring about the often wildly inflated price of major hospital care.

I decided that if I couldn’t trust the hospital about the price of the procedure, then I couldn’t trust it about the quality either. I pulled my son from his hospital bed and made plans to discuss this second opinion with his L.A. pediatrician.

But the story doesn’t end there. Hours later, I received a call from the second physician guilt-tripping me for my decision. “Just to confirm, you won’t be returning to the hospital for the treatment?” he concluded ominously. The next morning, I woke up to a knock on my door from the police. The hospital had called Child Protective Services. Outrageous.

After I cleared things up with the police and CPS, I looked into the second opinion further. It turned out my instinct was correct. The pediatrician said the procedure was unnecessary. My health insurer told me that it wouldn’t have been covered and would have cost me around $10,000. By demanding an upfront price, I protected my family’s health and wealth.

But what about the vulnerable people who don’t have the English skills or confidence needed to stand up to aggressive hospital staff, let alone the police? Are they just railroaded by the medical system?

Statistics suggest they are. Approximately 100 million Americans have medical debt. One in six people of color have medical debt in collections, i.e., ruined credit scores and garnished wages. Most Americans now avoid or delay care for fear of financial devastation.

Bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Senate, cosponsored by Sens. Mike Braun (R-IN) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), would make real healthcare prices a reality. The Health Care Price Transparency Act 2.0 would codify and strengthen federal price transparency rules on hospitals and health insurers. It requires the publication of actual prices, not estimates, which don’t provide financial protection and prevent meaningful comparisons. The bill would unleash a competitive, pro-consumer marketplace, as clear prices do in other economic sectors.

This is a bipartisan issue for a bipartisan Congress. It should prioritize passing this vital healthcare reform this year. Healthcare price transparency can empower patients and families to choose the best care at the best prices and avoid overcharging when we’re in our most vulnerable state.

Michael Klein is a sales engineer in Palos Verdes.