The Price Ain't Right
 

The Price Ain't Right is a report on hospital costs around the country. They compare prices for Privately Insured vs Medicare patients, prices charged by different hospitals in the same market, and much more. It stresses the importance of vigorously enforced anti-trust laws and price transparency.
The whole report with tons of charts and graphs (pdf) here.

Hospitals and health systems have been busy buying up every physician and other related healthcare practice in their catchment areas - and beyond - for some years now. Why? Because they can then charge facility fees for every patient seen at an outpatient practice, in addition to the professional fees. It more than doubles the cost of the service, and it creates a huge revenue stream for the hospital.

Quite a few news outlets have reported on this; here's one article from the NYT:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/07/up...-pay.html?_r=0

I only hope that the Obama administration follows through. It has become difficult for physicians to be independent - new doctors arriving in town are often out of luck unless they accept employment with the local hospital. Some hospitals have literally run independent practitioners out of town by denying them privileges.

It's time the feds removed the huge loophole that permits abuses like this.

I wonder how much that played into the anti-women's health scheme in Texas? Supporting monopolies and opposing choice is a win win in GOP circles.