Hospital Watch

For years, corporate hospital systems in Missouri have been allowed to eliminate competition & overcharge whatever the market will tolerate. Adam L. Buckalew notes in @stltoday how hospitals’ anti-competitive practices are driving up costs and sticking Missourians with the bill:

What does unchecked hospital consolidation look like? @RepJasonSmith described it as "borderline extortionary prices." Congress can no longer let corporate hospital systems escape accountability for driving healthcare costs higher, Adam L. Buckalew writes in @dcexaminer:

“Private equity is often the kiss of death for hospitals.” @RepJudyChu didn’t mince words: when corporations take over hospital systems, the priority shifts from patient care to investor return, leaving patients to pay the price. Watch:

Hospitals account for roughly 40 cents of every healthcare dollar spent – and their prices are rising faster than inflation, wages, and nearly every other part of the system. Adam L. Buckalew lays out in @dcexaminer why hospital pricing and consolidation can't remain off-limits if Congress is serious about affordability:

EXPOSED: When corporate hospital systems dominate a market, patients lose choice & the ability to afford care. @RepJasonSmith called out pricing disparities on @NEWSMAX – a consequence of unchecked consolidation & anticompetitive behavior that Congress must confront. Watch:

How much does a CT cost? Well, it depends. @RepJasonSmith tells @NEWSMAX one hospital charged $13,000 while a doctor's office only charged $79 for the EXACT SAME scan. These markups are the result of corporate hospital systems using their market power to charge egregious prices:

Americans are seeing costs rising everywhere, with healthcare climbing faster than any other sector. @RepAaronBean points to the key driver: hospital prices. Hear what he said during a recent @WaysandMeansGOP/@WaysMeansCmte hearing:

🏥 The doctor didn’t change. The office didn’t change. The care didn’t change. 💰 The price did. @RepKevinHern underscored how hospital consolidation is driving higher costs for patients & families across the U.S. during a recent Ways & Means hearing. Watch what he said:

Same doctor. Same office. Up to 4x the price. Hospital systems are taking advantage of loopholes to drive these increases, with hospital-owned clinics tacking on facility fees for identical services – even when nothing about the care changes. Hear from @RepRonEstes:

As corporate hospital consolidation reshapes healthcare, today’s largest systems are behaving more like corporations than care providers. @RepJasonSmith highlighted how hospitals with 100+ beds now outperform Disney, Delta & Target in margins, as costs keep rising for Americans:

Facing a DOJ antitrust lawsuit, the CEO of a major hospital system claims their practices are “pro-competitive.” @RepJohnLarson pressed for specifics, but got none. That silence speaks volumes about how corporate hospital consolidation is increasing costs for Americans. Watch:

When hospital systems charge more for the same care, healthcare costs go up across the board. Corporate hospital consolidation is fueling the healthcare affordability crisis for American families. More from @RepNateMoran from the recent @WaysandMeansGOP/@WaysMeansCmte hearing:

Wages ⬆️ 131% Hospital prices ⬆️ 281% Hear from @RepAdrianSmith how American families are paying the price due to corporate hospital consolidation and abusive pricing practices:

Hospitals often claim scale improves care, but consolidation reduces competition, raises prices, & enables price gouging. Read how today’s @WaysandMeansGOP/@WaysMeansCmte hearing underscored corporate hospital systems’ leverage to lock in higher rates and limit patient choice:

“Because we can.” That’s how one hospital CEO explained abusing loopholes. @RepJasonSmith explained on @CNBC how that mindset is driving higher costs, with hospital spending now totaling $1.6T – about a third of all healthcare spending. Watch:

Roughly 40% of healthcare spending growth is coming from hospitals, and it's straining American families. Learn how anti-competitive practices from corporate hospital systems are leaving patients with fewer options and higher costs:

In 83% of metro areas, one or two hospital systems control at least 75% of the market, according to @KFF. That level of consolidation limits competition and drives costs higher for Americans, a key issue at today’s @WaysandMeansGOP/@WaysMeansCmte hearing. Learn more:

Hospitals are marking up prices by 3x the cost of care. As @WaysandMeansGOP/@WaysMeansCmte question health system CEOs, lawmakers should press how abusive pricing practices like this are driving costs higher for Americans. More on the healthcare affordability crisis:

Hospital systems across the country are driving up healthcare costs: consolidating markets, acquiring competitors, and raising prices. It’s time for @WaysandMeansGOP/@WaysMeansCmte members to hold hospital executives accountable for their abusive practices. Our statement:

When it comes to driving up healthcare costs, hospitals seem to ask: “Who the Health Cares?” Well, patients care. We’re calling on @WaysandMeansGOP/@WaysMeansCmte to demand answers from hospital CEOs during today's hearing. Let’s hold hospital monopolies accountable.