WellPoint tested the impact price transparency has on patient choices, and MedPage Today reports that the medical auction site Medibid offers an alternative approach to medical costs by giving patients a chance to ask doctors to bid for their business.
The site does not vouch for doctors, which means patients will have to do some digging to assess competence, but Medibid does provide the physician’s medical license number as a jumping-off point.
Medibid founder Ralph Weber tells Medpage Today his site introduces transparency and competition, and says around 120,000 patients have used the site. Weber says the typical Medibid patient is uninsured, has a high-deductible plan or a conservative faith-based plan. Users can pay $25 to submit a bid or $60 for an unlimited number of postings.
