In its efforts to fight the rising cost of healthcare, the Biden administration is taking an approach that hasn't got much attention in the media -- probably because it's not obvious how it's related.Just let this simmer:One analysis looking at 25 metropolitan areas with the highest rates of hospital consolidation from 2010 through 2013 found that the price private insurance paid for the average hospital stay increased in most areas between 11% and 54% in the subsequent years.The Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice have been working to more aggressively block hospital mergers (two companies combining to create a joint company) and acquisitions (a company buying another to take it over). Let's look into why this is related to healthcare prices and how it's playing out.
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The Quiet Fight against Bigger Hospitals
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In its efforts to fight the rising cost of healthcare, the Biden administration is taking an approach that hasn't got much attention in the media -- probably because it's not obvious how it's related.Just let this simmer:One analysis looking at 25 metropolitan areas with the highest rates of hospital consolidation from 2010 through 2013 found that the price private insurance paid for the average hospital stay increased in most areas between 11% and 54% in the subsequent years.The Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice have been working to more aggressively block hospital mergers (two companies combining to create a joint company) and acquisitions (a company buying another to take it over). Let's look into why this is related to healthcare prices and how it's playing out.