As consumers, we all understand the need to shop around. When buying gas, a TV or even a car we can research the best price for what we need, finding the best option for our budget and lifestyle.

We don’t get the same transparency and choice in healthcare.

While you may be able to choose your health plan (unless you’re on an Obamacare market but that’s a whole other topic) few consumers can or do call around to find the best price for their care.

Since the cost of healthcare has always been relatively hidden, most Americans don’t even question this and end up paying whatever they are billed.

This week, the New York Times reported on a new study of hospital prices, showing the extent to which hospitals take advantage of the opaque supply chain and pricing structures to increase costs.

The study looked at the cost of a common metabolic blood panel, looking at real costs which insurance companies paid for these tests. The same test cost $11 in one location in Tampa, but $725 at a location in Miami.

Even more compelling, in Tampa, in addition to the $11 panel, another location, in the same market, cost $440. These are wild variations and, importantly, are divorced from any market force.

The report even notes that other everyday products, while there is price variation across markets, don’t see the same extreme variations across markets or within markets.

Hospitals take advantage of this nontransparent ecosystem to drive up costs.Because there is no transparency in pricing and because patients rarely are able to “shop around” for their hospital care, hospitals are able to charge insurers what they want. The result, consumers cannot find the best price and there is zero accountability for hospitals or other players that increase prices.

What does this mean for consumers? The article explains why these unfair pricing schemes increase costs for all patients:

Because these are prices paid by insurance companies, many experts say the differences between markets matter more, because they affect insurance premiums that all those with insurance in that area pay, even if they don’t get a blood test or an operation…The swing within markets increasingly matters for patients, too, as the share of employer plans with sizable deductibles keeps rising. That means that choosing a provider where your insurance company has failed to strike a good deal could mean significant out-of-pocket costs.

 In layman’s terms: insurers pass on higher market costs in the form of premiums and deductibles. The higher the costs in the market, the higher the cost of the insurance plans for patients and employers.

We also know that price transparency yields better results. A study of ambulatory surgical centers which listed prices for surgical services online saw 50 percent increases in patient volumes, as well as increases in revenue and, importantly, increases in patient satisfaction.

When nearly 20 percent of consumers have a form of medical debt, these issues and these prices matter. For everyday Americans, higher premium costs or higher deductibles can make or break their budget.

It’s time we took this pricing seriously and demand hospitals and insurance companies increase transparency for patients. It’s cliché, but when it comes to market forces sunlight really is the best disinfectant.