Price shopping for surgery

We all price shop for things. If the gas station across the street is five cents cheaper per gallon, we might go there. If one brand of milk is cheaper than the other, we will probably grab the cheaper one. Some of us coupon clip and research prices online.

We also all have some splurges. Maybe its hand bags, maybe its shoes, maybe its chocolate. These are the items that we purchase regardless of the price. Maybe its that Coach bag or the Manolo Blahnik shoes that we want no matter what. We just blindly get what we want.

So where should our surgery shopping go? If you think about it, most of us have been treating surgery in the second category as a purchase without looking at the cost. Should we be doing this? Or should we shop around and look at price first?

Two recent studies showed the range of appendectomies (done at Washington University) and hip surgery (done at University of California San Francisco). The first ranges from $1529 to 186,955 and the second $10,000 to $125,000. I'm not kidding. My first thought is that there surely must be some sort of quality variance here but if we leave that out for a moment, aren't these ranges amazing?

In any other circumstance if someone said you could get the same car for either $10,000 or $125,000 - which would you take? The $10,000 of course.

But most of us don't seem to apply this same price consciousness when it comes to medical procedures. Maybe we think insurance will cover it so it doesn't matter to me. Yes  your insurance covers it but high priced procedures are on of the many things causing continual premium increases. Or if I go to another hospital will I have to get a new doctor? Maybe a new doctor will be even nicer. You don't know until you try. Sometimes we get stuck in a rut of going for treatment to the same place.

Wouldn't it make sense to pay a little attention to the price? As part of the health care changes still coming into play medical providers will need to offer some price transparency to patients. But that is still a long way off.

The Perils of Pink

I finally found an article which explains the perils of pinkification better than any attempt I have ever made. You can read the whole thing here or you can read my cliff notes version below.

“The biggest misconception people have is that the proceeds from a product or fundraising event are directly contributed to the cause, or toward progress in ending the breast cancer epidemic, and that’s an assumption which may not be true,” said Gayle Sulik, author of “Pink Ribbon Blues: How Breast Cancer Culture Undermines Women’s Health.” Whether it’s a entering a walk-a-thon or buying a dusky-rose pair of sneakers, Sulik recommended reading the fine print. “If there are not specifics, if it’s a general, ‘All profits go to support the fight against breast cancer,’ that’s a red flag,” she cautioned.

Here are three product examples:

• Hershey's Kisses for the Cure Pink Ribbon Music Box, retail price $49.99 has a major selling point that  portion of the proceeds to be donated to help fight breast cancer. That amount might be a $1.00 and the authors could not find out what charity the money was going to. Recommendation - skip it.
• Gaiam Ink Ribbon Yoga Mat, retail price $21.98. $1 goes to charity. 
• "Andee" Breast Cancer Watch from Coach, retail price $258, $20 goes to charity.

 But before you make that purchase you need to consider to whom the money goes and how they use the money:

"The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, for example, uses less than nine cents per dollar raised on fundraising and administrative expenses, compared to the United Breast Cancer Foundation, which spends a whopping 72 cents per dollar before beneficiaries see any of that money. Watchdogs like CharityNavigator.org can help you compare charities to see where your money is going."

The next consideration is there a cap on the amount that goes to the charity - either an end date or a total amount:

When you find a product that supports the cause transparently — and there are plenty out there — try to find out whether there’s a cap on the donation, meaning the donation ends once a certain amount has been met. If the promotion mentions a specific time period and you buy the product after the cut-off date, the would-be donation may go straight to the company, so check for a time limit.

Some tips for where to donate your money are:

• The smaller local charities who are helping people you know in your community.
• Breast Cancer Research Foundation
• MD Anderson
• Johns Hopkins Avon Breast Center
• Lynn Sage Cancer Research Foundation
• Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

So think before you pink so you don't perilously pink.