Most healthcare operators collect a copay at check-in and send the remaining balance 30 to 60 days later. By then, the patient has moved on, your team isn't there to explain it, and you're hoping they pay.
For the patient, that means they don't find out what care actually costs until long after the decision is made. We surveyed 4,000 U.S. adults on what it's like to pay for healthcare today. 42% said they had delayed or skipped care in the past year because of cost uncertainty. 70% said knowing the price upfront would make them more likely to seek care. Cost uncertainty isn't a billing problem. It's an access problem.
And patients aren't waiting for you to figure it out. Over 40 million people ask ChatGPT healthcare questions every day. Nearly 2 million messages a week are specifically about insurance: coverage, out-of-pocket costs, how to read a bill they already received. Meanwhile, healthcare affordability is a stated priority of the current administration, with regulatory pressure pushing in the same direction. The expectation of upfront pricing is forming whether operators lead it or not.
Still, many operators worry that showing prices will hurt the patient experience. The data says otherwise. Across more than 28,000 visits in the Solv network, patients who received a cost estimate and paid at check-in rated their experience just as highly as those who didn't. Both groups scored 80+ NPS.
The revenue side is just as exposed. Copays account for less than half of what a patient actually owes. High-deductible plans keep growing, and three out of four HDHP patients in the Solv network never meet their deductible in a given year. The balance you're not collecting at the point of care isn't a seasonal gap, it's the structural default.
The patient’s bill is coming regardless. The question is whether your team is there when the patient sees it, or whether they're opening an envelope alone 45 days later.
The Price of Not Knowing explores who delays care, how behavior shifts by segment, and what actually changes patient decisions.
Download the full report on healthcare price transparency and patient behavior →
What you’ll learn in this report:
-
Who delays care due to cost uncertainty
How price transparency affects patient decision-making
-
The impact of medical billing timing on collections
-
Differences across patient segments and insurance types
-
How upfront cost estimates change behavior and revenue
FAQs
What is healthcare price transparency?
Healthcare price transparency refers to giving patients clear, upfront information about the cost of care before they receive it.
Why do patients delay care due to cost?
Patients often delay care when they don’t know their out-of-pocket costs, especially with high-deductible plans.
Do upfront cost estimates improve patient experience?
Data shows patients who receive estimates report similar satisfaction levels to those who don’t.
