Fred Roeder of the Consumer Choice Center: Why Patients Rarely Know the Price of Care Until It's Too Late

Fred Roeder, health economist and managing director of the Consumer Choice Center, joined the Health Policy Podcast to explain why price transparency remains one of the biggest failures in the U.S. healthcare system. Roeder discussed how opaque hospital pricing leaves patients exposed to unexpected medical bills, even for routine procedures such as MRIs and lab work. During the conversation, Roeder outlined how high deductibles and cost-sharing mean patients often pay thousands of dollars out of pocket before insurance coverage applies, making price awareness critical. He shared real-world examples showing how the same medical service can vary dramatically in cost depending on the provider, even when quality and equipment are identical. Roeder also addressed structural issues driving high healthcare costs, including weak enforcement of hospital price transparency rules, administrative overhead, and the misuse of the federal 340B drug pricing program, which allows hospitals to purchase discounted drugs without passing savings on to patients. He argued that these practices contribute to rising premiums, medical debt, and reduced consumer trust. The episode concludes with practical advice for patients, including how to ask the right questions before scheduling non-emergency care, how to compare providers, and why stronger enforcement of existing transparency laws is necessary to restore consumer choice and accountability in healthcare.