Healthcare+Blue+Book


 * Term:** Healthcare Blue Book


 * Description:** The Healthcare Blue Book is a free consumer guide owned by CareOperative LLC to help determine fair prices for local healthcare services. Blue Book references local costs, based on the service, to provide a search-able listing of prices. How are the "fair" prices determined? Generally, the fair price is the cost that most insurance providers would cover in full for a medical service. On top of that the fair price is determined from industry data, consumer data, and other employer information from throughout the United States.

The Healthcare Blue Book website also provides free patient education in how to use the website, apply it to the medical system, and managing overall healthcare expenses.


 * Applications:** Healthcare Blue Book provides a service to combat increasing prices in health services due to factors like rising insurance premiums, price gouging, and fraud. With a decisive list of fair pricing at hand, consumers are able to avoid potential follies in the confusing world of doctor comparisons. Pricing for common procedures, tests, medications, and other services are easy to find and are search-able in the expansive database. Healthcare Blue Book is also used by several health insurance companies, including [|www.Ehealthinsurance.com], to assist customers in locating medical services.

Healthcare Blue Book now offers a mobile application of their service for Apple and Android. The advantages that Healthcare Bluebook offer become much more readily available and likely have a higher adoption rate due to the branch into the mobile market. [|Apple Application Page] [|Google Play (Android) App]


 * Why HealthCare Prices are Needed:** Americans are paying more out of pocket for their healthcare services. According to the US Census Bureau, in 2007 there were 45.7 million uninsured Americans. Out of pocket costs for the 177 million Americans with employer sponsored insurance have also increased. A 2008 Mercer study reports that median healthcare deductibles for the working insured have increased from $500 to $1,000 between 2007 and 2008. A similar Hewitt Associates analysis also reports overall out of pocket healthcare expenses have risen from $1,576 to $1,707 over the same period.

[] []
 * Web Resources:**


 * Related Terminology:**
 * Department of Health and Human Services
 * Insurance Quote
 * Health Insurance
 * Pay-Per-Service


 * Graphics:**


 * Sample of pricing