In the interest of creating elegant solutions to complex problems this petition aims to lower, and standardize, the list prices charged by hospital to patients by shining a bright light on the now secret system known as the "Chargemaster".
The Chargemaster is a book of prices that each hospital charges patients for common procedures. The charges can vary wildly from hospital to hospital.
Requiring hospitals to place their chargemasters on a public website with the ability to query procedures and prices will illuminate large price differences which hospitals will have to address to protect their reputation.
This can be done at almost zero cost to hospitals with potentially huge benefits to citizens.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/17/opinion/the-murky-world-of-hospital-pr...