Researchers from New Haven, Conn.-based Yale University, Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh found although Utah has relatively affordable healthcare, there is room for improvement, according to Desert News.
Here are five observations:
1. Salt Lake City is in the top quarter of cities for low Medicare spending. Salt Lake City ranked 69th out of the 306 cities the researchers analyzed.
2. Salt Lake City ranked in the top third of cities when measured by how much private insurers pay hospitals for medical services.
3. While Utah is doing well based on national averages, the results show a flaw in our nation's healthcare system. Natalie Gochnour, the director of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, said, "The way we pay for healthcare is complicated. It lacks transparency. It's hidden to the patient often."
4. The healthcare facilities across Utah have clear price disparities. At one hospital in Salt Lake City, a colonoscopy can cost nearly $500. At another hospital, the same procedure can cost approximately $2,500.
5. Some experts claim keeping consistent prices across facilities will lower the cost of healthcare.
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