Healthcare DIVE February 18, 2021
Dive Brief:
Aggressively regulating the prices of hospital services could reduce healthcare spending by more than $235 billion a year, according to a new study issued by the think tank Rand.
The report also examines price transparency and increased market competition among hospitals, and concluded that setting fixed prices would save the most money. However, the study’s authors also acknowledge how difficult price setting would be to accomplish politically, and that it could cause hospitals to close and the quality of care to erode.
The American Hospital Association blasted the report, throwing blame on insurers, noting their recent healthy profits. “Rand ignores the unique role of hospitals and health systems and dismisses rising costs...