Cost and Billing Resources

Florida hospitals are providing patients with access to information about hospital care costs to ensure patients and their families are able to make informed decisions about their care. While price is not the only information needed to make these kinds of decisions, it is an important component.

Below are valuable resources to help you better understand prices and billing.

Before You Go – Getting Information on Pricing

Before you to go to the hospital, it’s important to have an idea of what it will cost you. Your out-of-pocket costs will depend upon whether you have insurance or not.

If You Have Health Insurance:

Option 1

Contact your health insurer or refer to your member policy to find out about:

Deductibles or copayments associated with the hospital stay or procedure
Annual maximum out-of-pocket costs
Whether the procedure is covered under your policy
Whether the hospital, physician or outpatient center is in their provider network

Option 2

Contact the hospital or outpatient center and your physician:

Ask for an estimate of the charges for your procedure or visit (keep in mind that the charges reflect the “retail” price charged for the procedure or visit and does not reflect the discount that has been negotiated by your health insurance)

Option 3

View information on hospital pricing for common procedures and quality rankings.

If You Do NOT Have Health Insurance:

Option 1

Contact the hospital:

Ask for an estimate of the charges for a particular procedure or hospital stay (this will only be an estimate; actual charges might be higher or lower depending upon the unique needs of each patient)
Ask about discount policies (many hospitals offer a discount policy for patients without health insurance; contact the hospital’s business office to see if you qualify for a discount)

Option 2

Apply for coverage through the Healthcare Marketplace or Florida Medicaid Program.

Option 3

View information on hospital pricing for common procedures and quality rankings.

Next: Helping Patients Understand the Cost of Care