The study examined claims from UnitedHealthcare, Humana and Aetna for common services and found even within Wisconsin prices can vary three-fold. Here are five quick notes on the price difference:
1. Knee arthroscopy for torn ligaments including physical therapy is $14,257 on average nationally; in Milwaukee the cost is $21,653. In Wisconsin, the cost ranges from $14,026 to $30,027.
2. Spine surgery to fuse two or more vertebra in the lower spine, including physical therapy, costs $66,187 on average nationally; in Milwaukee it costs $77,327 on average. The range for Wisconsin is $64,840 to $109,151.
3. According to the report, health insurance costs less in Madison than Milwaukee.
4. The report noted there isn’t a correlation between price and quality of healthcare. Studies from the Institutes of Medicine, as well as other sources, haven’t been able to connect the two.
5. Employers are still reluctant to embrace insurance plans based on reference pricing or tiers steering members to high quality, low cost providers, according to the report.
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