Texas employers paid over two and a half times what hospitals accepted from Medicare during 2022 for the same services according to new data from RAND Corporation’s Hospital Price Transparency Study.
In Houston, 24 hospitals are included in the study and employers paid 227% of what hospitals accepted from Medicare for inpatient and outpatient services, and 354% over what hospitals accepted from Medicare for outpatient facility fees. Across all states, the average prices paid by employers were 257% over what hospitals accepted from Medicare.
NPR: Fat Joe wants hospital price transparency. Here’s how he’s fighting for it in D.C.
“The reason why pricing is so important is because anything else we do in the world comes with a price. And we know exactly what it is. What is the mystery of the hospitals that they can’t tell you the price of a procedure? You can look at the three leading hospitals in your area — the discrepancy is incredible.”
TXEAHC Executive Director Chris Skisak at the
2024 National Healthcare Price Transparency Conference
Texas Employers for Affordable Healthcare Executive Director Chris Skisak joined National Academy for State Health Policy’s Marilyn Bartlett; National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions’ Shawn Gremminger; Arnold Ventures’ Hunter Kellett; Indiana State Rep. Donna Schaibley; and Brown University School of Public Health’s Chris Whaley for a discussion of policy strategies at the 2024 National Healthcare Price Transparency Conference in Indiana.
WSJ: As Hospitals Grow, So Does Your Bill
“Hospital executives argue that mergers lead to improved efficiency and better outcomes for patients. But, after years of rampant consolidation between hospitals, most regions in the U.S. are now dominated by a few large players. That has led to higher prices and no significant improvements in patient care.”
Part 2 in David Wainer’s series on concentration in American healthcare.