HCCI’s 2018 HCCUR report was cited in a GAO study on Medicare payments for anesthesia services.
From the report: “The Health Care Cost Institute calculated that in 2017 private insurance payments ranged from 2 to 7 times Medicare payments, on average, across six common services provided by anesthesiologists in 33 states. Wide state-to-state variation within specific services was reported.”
U.S. GAO – Anesthesia Services: Differences between Private and Medicare Payments Likely Due to Providers’ Strong Negotiating Position
In 2018, Medicare paid over $2 billion for anesthesia services such as those needed for surgery.In 2007, we reported that private insurance was paying about 3 times more for certain anesthesia services than Medicare was. Recent studies indicate that has increased to about 3.5 times more than what Medicare pays.