The Pricing Of U.S.Hospital Services:Chaos Behind A Veil Of Secrecy

Excerpts from the report by Uwe E. Reinhardt in  H E A L T H A F F A I R S ~ V o l u m e 2 5 , N u m b e r 1

(DOI 10.1377/hlthaff.25.1.57©2006 Project HOPE–The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.)

ABSTRACT:Although Americans and foreigners alike tend to think of the U.S. healthcare system as being a“market-driven”system, the prices actually paid for health care goods and services in that system remain remarkably opaque.  This paper describes howUS hospitals now price their services to the various third party payers and self paying patients and how that system would have to be changed to accomodate the increasingly popular concept of consumer directed health care. ”[HealthAffairs25, no. 1(2006): 57–69]