ViewPoints Blog

Hospital pricing is back in the news. If you live in California, a new study has found that a simple blood test can run you anywhere from $10 to $10,000. Headlines like this are popping up in news feeds with regular frequency, and pretty soon consumer awareness will transform into action.

Do you know how much a gallon of milk costs? Sure, it's posted right under the product in any grocery store. Does the price change if you go to Kroger, Costco, or Wal-Mart? What if the price listed in the store wasn't actually the price you paid at checkout? And what if Wal-Mart wasn't allowed to know the price at Kroger? What if the price you paid wasn't listed anywhere and depended on some other factors like how many gallons you bought, what else was in your cart, how old you were, the day of the week you bought it, or how much milk your parents bought growing up?