Forbes’ wallet biopsy: Portland and San Francisco are among the priciest cities for health care

Did anyone notice Forbes’ list of most expensive cities in America for health care are also among the most liberal? Now I don’t know what kind of connection one can make with that coincidence, but I’m sure some certified smart guy will drill down to figure it out. Perhaps it will have something to do with government workers and access to insurance with little to no co-pays resulting in what President Obama might call “overuse.” 

Seven out of the ten most expensive cities for health care are among the most liberal cities in the country. Sacramento; San Francisco; Portland; Charlotte, North Carolina; Denver and Boston are all in the top ten. Find the list and criteria for it here.

Here’s what Forbes said about Portland and San Francisco:

10. Portland, OR With one of the widest variations between procedures, Portland is the third most expensive city for preventive primary care at $216, but drops to fourteenth for MRIs and seventeenth for CT scans.

2. San Francisco, CA With an average cost of $251, San Francisco is the most expensive place to find preventive primary care in the U.S. It also falls right behind Sacramento for MRIs and ranks fifth for CT scans at $1,203. Like Sacramento, lipid panels are a bargain at $24.