NYC’s new Health Care Price Comparison tool

CITYWIDE — THE NYC DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH on Tuesday rolled out the city’s first Health Care Price Comparison tool, a public website that lets residents compare prices for common medical services citywide, regardless of insurance status. The platform covers 33 procedures and provides personalized out-of-pocket estimates across major commercial plans, Essential Plans, and self-pay options.

A survey showed substantial price differences for the same services, depending on where the service is obtained. For example, the “standard-service” X-ray package was listed as costing $31 at Brookdale, Interfaith and Kingsbrook medical centers. Maimonides clocked in at $750, while Brooklyn Hospital Center listed $1,613. On the other hand, Maimonides came in as the least expensive place for a tonsillectomy at $896; Brooklyn Hospital Center posted the price as $6,391.

“Affordable, high-quality health care should not be a privilege reserved for a few, but a fundamental necessity for every New Yorker,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a release. Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse called the tool “a valuable resource for New Yorkers to make decisions about their physical and financial health.”

The launch fulfills Local Law 78, sponsored by the Upper East Side’s Councilmember Julie Menin, which also created the Office of Healthcare Accountability. Officials say the tool arrives amid rising costs and potential federal subsidy changes and will curb medical debt and improve access through price transparency.

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