On average, hospitals upcharge patents by 487%
This report is an update to a previous report examining hospital markups for separately paid drugs. Our prior analysis examined hospital charges and reimbursement for 20 drugs and found that hospitals marked up charges for those drugs, on average, 487 percent of their acquisition cost. We also found that hospitals receive 252 percent of estimated […]
A 50k Trauma Fee….Just in Case
The care was ordinary. A hospital in Modesto, California, treated a 30-year-old man for shoulder and back pain after a car accident. He went home in less than three hours. The bill was extraordinary. Sutter Health Memorial Medical Center charged $44,914 including an $8,928 “trauma alert” fee, billed for summoning the hospital’s top surgical specialists […]
NEW MEMO: Hospitals in Panic Mode with Desperate New Ad Campaign
America’s corporate hospital systems are in a new era of scrutiny and they know it. They’ve been repeatedly called out for engaging in harmful anti-competitive practices that drive up costs for patients and employers. Their “political firewall” is crumbling. Now, the American Hospital Association is in full panic mode, launching a new ad campaign in Washington to try and perpetuate […]
Hospital System Sued 2,500 Patients After Pandemic Hit
When the coronavirus began spreading through New York, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo ordered state-run hospitals to stop suing patients over unpaid medical bills, and almost all of the major private hospitals in the state voluntarily followed suit by suspending their claims. But one chain of hospitals plowed ahead with thousands of lawsuits: Northwell Health, which […]
Hospital Price Transparency Compliance Report
While CMS’ move to increase the penalty for hospitals that don’t publish their prices will make some facilities more likely to comply with that requirement, it may not sway the country’s largest health systems, Caroline Znaniec, a managing director at advisory firm CohnReznick, told Becker’s Hospital Review. The CMS final price transparency rule, which took […]
NEW MEMO: The Momentum Is Real – Hospital Reform Is Advancing
NEW MEMO: The Momentum Is Real – Hospital Reform Is Advancing At breakneck pace, congressional scrutiny of hospital billing practices has advanced to the lawmaking phase. And the momentum for reform is real. The burgeoning consensus provides an opportunity for lawmakers to a secure a win for their constituents and address a top-tier voter priority: the alarmingly […]
PRESS RELEASE: Better Solutions Statement on House Framework to Combat Hospital-Driven Cost Increases and Increase Health System Transparency
Better Solutions Statement on House Framework to Combat Hospital-Driven Cost Increases and Increase Health System Transparency WASHINGTON, DC – (September 6, 2023) – Today, three committees in the House introduced a joint product to lower costs and increase transparency in the health care system. This bill includes policy to increase price transparency from hospitals, promote […]
The Hill: Congress can lower health care costs by holding hospital systems accountable
BY MICHAEL THOMPSON AND TOM LUSSIER, OPINION CONTRIBUTORS – 07/28/23 A $629 bill for a 1-year-old to receive a Band-Aid. A $722.50 charge for every push of medicine through an IV. A $17,850 bill for a single drug test. These are real stories of patients charged exorbitant prices for services. There are numerous examples like […]
Politico: Education and the Workforce leaders unveil health care package
BY BEN LEONARD, MEGAN R. WILSON | 07/11/2023 01:30 PM EDT House Education and Workforce Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) and ranking member Bobby Scott (D-Va.) on Tuesday unveiled a bipartisan health care package of four bills focused on transparency in health care, including for hospitals and pharmacy benefit managers. The legislation, which the committee is […]
PRESS RELEASE: Momentum Continues For Hospital Reform: Better Solutions For Healthcare Applauds Congressional Scrutiny on Dishonest Billing
Momentum Continues For Hospital Reform: Better Solutions For Healthcare Applauds Congressional Scrutiny on Dishonest Billing WASHINGTON, DC – (July 11, 2023) – Better Solutions for Healthcare, a national coalition of business and healthcare leaders calling on lawmakers to address the hospital-driven rise in healthcare costs, applauded House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Ranking […]