HCCI’s 2017 Health Care Cost and Utilization Report was cited in a Los Angeles Times article.
From the article:
“Between 2013 and 2017, the average price nationally for an inpatient hospital admission rose more than 15%, almost three times the rate of general inflation, according to an analysis of commercial insurance data by the Health Care Cost Institute, a Washington think tank. The average price for outpatient services jumped almost 19%.
In some metropolitan areas, inpatient hospital prices increased by more than 30% in just five years.
“Price is the elephant in the room,” said Niall Brennan, the institute’s president. “People don’t like to talk about it … but patients in many places are being subjected to basically predatory pricing practices.””
Not everyone has eye-popping deductibles: How one union kept medical bills in check – Los Angeles Times
A hotel workers union in Boston offers members a plan with no deductible. Their case shows how costs can be kept in check and the trade-offs required.
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-12-17/one-union-kept-medical-bills-in-check