How Turquoise powers NYC’s health care price comparison tool

The problem

The Health Care Price Comparison Tool allows New Yorkers to compare prices for 3335 common health care services—from ankle repair to x-rays—across hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and imaging centers in the city. Users can also generate personalized estimates for out-of-pocket costs for in-network care with 12 of the most popular commercial plans and three Essential Plans available under the Affordable Care Act, in addition to self-pay options if the patient is uninsured. The tool is expected to be useful to patients, health care navigators, and advocates, local policy makers, and watchdogs, including the media.

“New York City faces a health care affordability crisis, and the harmful effects of rising health care costs are overwhelmingly borne by individual patients, with significant inequities by race and income,” said Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse. “Every New Yorker deserves affordable, high-quality, equitable, and accessible care. The ability to collect and share accurate pricing data provides a valuable resource for New Yorkers to make informed decisions about their physical and financial health, while bringing greater accountability and transparency for providers and insurance companies.”

The release of this new tool comes at a critical time, as the growing cost of care leads too many New Yorkers to avoid care, leading to worsening health and even death. Missed or delayed health care also has economic effects on people, including missed work, lost wages, and lost jobs if a person becomes too sick. Because most people rely on their job for health insurance, losing employment may increase premiums, cost-sharing, higher out-of-pocket costs, and medical debt. 

Medical debt is a leading cause of bankruptcy across the country and undermines financial stability and mobility. It can affect credit scores and compel families to choose between care and rent or groceries. Nationwide, Black and Latino communities are more likely to hold medical debt than their white counterparts. This is a direct consequence of structural racism, which has artificially linked race and class in New York City and across the United States.

The healthcare affordability crisis will only deepen as federal policy changes go into effect in the coming years, significantly increasing the number of New Yorkers who are under- or uninsured. The new price comparison tool comes as lawmakers in Washington consider the expiration of enhanced subsidies for health insurance premiums. Without affordable insurance coverage, New Yorkers will need better information about health care costs, which tools like this can provide.

The solution

In 2023, the New York City Council unanimously passed the landmark Healthcare Accountability and Consumer Protection Act (Local Law 78), introduced by lead sponsor City Council Member Menin. Under this law, the NYC Health Department collects and shares information on key health care accountability topics, including city spending on city employee health care, hospital community benefit spending, and hospital and payer price transparency data. In accordance with the law, the NYC Health Department developed the tool in partnership with Turquoise Health. This launch builds on previous work of the NYC Health Department, including the city’s partnership with Undue Medical Debt, which already helped cancel nearly $135 million in medical debt for over 75,000 New Yorkers.

“Patients deserve to know what health care costs up-front,” said Turquoise Health Co-Founder and CEO Chris Severn. “By partnering with the NYC Health Department to launch this new platform, we are accelerating progress toward a world where financial transparency in health care is no longer a barrier. We're delighted to see tangible momentum toward a patient-centered health care system that finally makes knowing the cost of care easy.”

The prices listed in the Health Care Price Comparison Tool are for informational purposes and are not guaranteed by the NYC Health Department or Turquoise Health. Final out-of-pocket costs may vary based on insurance coverage, any discounts, and the specific care received. For New Yorkers who cannot afford health care and do not have insurance, see the NYC Care program, which guarantees low- and no-cost services for residents who do not qualify for or cannot afford health insurance.