In response to Ask Roger Anything, which you can still do, Alexis wrote:
Hospitals required to post all prices online beginning January 1 – Roger – blog post? This is incredible!
As a librarian, I almost always take the position that more information is usually better. I’m not at all sure how this change will work in the real world and private insurance.
I was surprised/disappointed that I managed to miss this news until the multiple stories that came out right after Christmas from the Associated Press. In fact, there was a story on the PBS Newshour on April 24, 2018, which details the policy.
“Hospitals are required to disclose prices publicly, but the latest change would put that information online in a machine-readable format that can be easily processed by computers. It may still prove to be confusing to consumers since standard rates are like list prices and don’t reflect what insurers and government programs pay.
“Patients concerned about their potential out-of-pocket costs from a hospitalization would still be advised to consult with their insurer. Most insurance plans nowadays have an annual limit on how much patients must pay in copays and deductibles — although traditional Medicare does not.”
Friend Anne wants to know:
What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?
That would be strawberry, which is NOT available in half gallons from Stewart’s, the local ice cream emporium with the most locations. You CAN get Neapolitan (vanilla/chocolate/strawberry) or vanilla and strawberry. So it’s my favorite flavor to get on a cone.
Generally speaking, I like the fruit-flavors: black raspberry, cherry vanilla, e.g.
Finally, Uthaclena asked quite a while ago:
What’s with 70? What’s wrong with 58?
This is in relation to the birthdays I note in this blog. Here’s the thing: people have only one 70th birthday. If I do someone’s 58th birthday, and another’s 63rd, I won’t necessarily remember if I wrote about them when I’m thinking of blog topics.
But the big 7-0 is easily retrievable because it’s consistent. I could have picked 80, but more of them would be dead. At 30, it’s way too soon; some folks aren’t noteworthy until later in life.