Health insurer reveals major differences in hospital prices

Health insurer CZ published a list of treatment and procedure rates at different hospitals, thereby also revealing that hospitals charge vastly different prices for the same treatments, sometimes varying by hundreds of euros.

"We found that you may know how much your care costs. And understand that you want information about the price and quality of care. So that you can make the best choice", CZ says on its website. The list includes all treatments that cost up to 885 euros -  the maximum own risk deductible.

What the list revealed is that hospitals can seemingly charge whatever they want for a treatment. A day treatment for a migraine or headache costs 546.11 euros at the Ikazia hospital in Rotterdam. At the Maasstad hospital in the same city, the same treatment costs 925,47 euros, while Viecuri in Venlo charges 1,209.72 euros.

For shrinking or removing varicose veins, another common treatment, the Ikazia hospital charges 517.54 euros, while the Spijkenisse Medical Center charges 1,832.21 euros. For inserting an IUD the Admiraal de Ruyter hospital in Goes charges 156 euros, while the Reiner de Graaf hospital in Delft charges 580 euros.

The full spreadsheet can be downloaded here