Price Tag Transparency: Bringing Clarity to Healthcare

Imagine walking into a store, picking up a few items, and only finding out how much you owe after you leave—surprising, right? That’s the reality many people face when they go to the doctor, get an MRI, or even visit the hospital. Unlike most other services, healthcare costs in the U.S. are rarely shared up front, so people are often shocked by bills for treatments they didn’t realize would cost so much. Insurance plans and providers don’t typically disclose prices, and sometimes, even if you have health insurance, unexpected fees and high medicine prices still catch people off guard.

Pharmaceutical companies often charge high prices for medications, sometimes adding big price markups. In the U.S., the healthcare system has been criticized as a “for-profit” model that can make money by keeping people dependent on costly medications rather than finding affordable, accessible solutions. Recently, entrepreneurs like Mark Cuban are trying to make things fairer with services like CostPlusDrugs.com, which aims to make drug prices more transparent and affordable by showing the actual cost, adding a small markup, and charging only the shipping fee.

Your Task:

Think of something in your life where you wish there were more transparency about costs or policies. It could be something at school (like sports equipment fees or cafeteria food costs), in your community (like grocery prices), or even in your favorite hobbies. In your response, answer these questions:

Why This Should Be Transparent: Describe why you think more transparency is needed for this service or item.

How it Could Help: How would knowing the true costs help you and others make more informed choices?

Community Impact: Explain how this kind of transparency might help your school, community, state, or even country!