Health care prices vary in different parts of the U.S., according to a new study that digs into the pattern of costs around the country, NBC News reported.
The report from the Health Care Cost Institute finds prices for the same procedures vary even within the same state.
Some differences make sense: Prices in Alaska are high because medical costs there are 2.6 times the national average. But other differences are hard to explain — a knee surgery in New Jersey costs $24,000, while the same procedure in Oregon can cost $43,000.
Unlike others, this report looked at the price people paid with private health insurance. Most Americans — more than 60 percent — are covered by private health insurance, usually through their employer, while 32 percent have government health insurance.
