“My immediate
reaction: this
is fraud.”
Overcharged: Why Americans Pay Too Much for Health Care
NEW FROM THE CATO INSTITUTE • AVAILABLE IN BOOKSTORES NATIONWIDE.
America’s health care system is broken. Subjecting health care to the free-market forces that
apply to the rest of the economy will reduce costs and improve access for all. Overcharged
provides the necessary prescription—the reforms our system desperately needs.
To hear Dr. Paul Davis tell his story, please visit Cato.org/Overcharged,
where you’ll also find audio and print excerpts from the book.
A
year after Dr. Paul Davis’s daughter
was given a urine test, she received the
bill from a private lab (but had never
received the results). The charge? $ 17 , 850. For a
urine test? Fearful that his daughter’s credit rating
would be harmed, he ultimately paid $ 5 , 000 out
of his own pocket to settle the bill. Says Dr. Davis,
a retired family physician,“It was price gouging
of incredible magnitude.” How can labs charge
so much and get away with it?