Hospital Offers More Cost Details

South Florida's Miami Children's Hospital has revised its pricing documents given to patients to better reflect the costs of medical care, according to the Miami Herald. The documents, called chargemasters, don't detail specific out-of-pocket expenses, but officials say the added details better reflect negotiated prices paid by insurers and will help families better understand what they will have to ultimately pay. The hospital is also planning to develop fixed prices for some of its most common services. Critics wonder how much the information will help consumers, since there are so many factors influencing costs.