Guys I think I know why health care costs are exploding h/t @zackcooperYale

Horrible.

Earlier today, @DrOzCMS claimed that large numbers of Marketplace enrollees aren’t “legit” on the grounds that some enrollees don't file a claim in any given year. Re-upping this thread on why this argument is seriously flawed.

Hospital spending is the biggest driver of health care spending growth, and hospital price increases are a big part of that -- specifically, the hospital prices paid by private insurers, employers, and insured patients.

MedPAC has done a real service continually updating rigorous estimates of overpayments to MA plans. Recent risk adjustment changes made a real dent, but Medicare is still paying MA plans ~14% more than it would cost to cover comparable beneficiaries in Traditional Medicare.

NEW: The Fair Pricing Act — a groundbreaking state-level legislation to ensure consumers pay the same price for the same service — was advanced by the New York State Senate Health Committee yesterday.

The 15 largest health care conglomerates charged an average of 282% more than the Medicare rate last year, resulting in $22 million in profit per hospital. This is possible because 3-5 corporations control the majority of hospital care in most states. prospect.org/2026/05/08/corp…

Thank you to the @TheProspect for highlighting our new @FamiliesUSA report. familiesusa.org/resources/bi…

In nearly every state, just 5 or fewer hospital systems control the majority of hospital care — and they're using that monopoly power to charge consumers whatever they want. This consolidation is driving the health care affordability crisis, and consumers are paying the price.

Our new analysis adds to decades of evidence showing a clear and disturbing trend: the more hospital chains consolidate, the higher prices Americans pay, in their premiums and their out-of-pocket costs. Every day congress fails to act, patients and consumers pay the price.

The definition of wasteful spending in health care.

Got a new essay out today in the The New York Times . The argument: we should address issues like prior authorizations and care denials, but if we want to lower premiums and health spending, we need to focus on hospital pricing. Cite a a book called The Silent World of Doctor and Patient by Jay Katz that Lainie Ross assigned when I was an undergrad that gets at why it’s hard to both be grateful for care and hold health care providers accountable. Let me know your thoughts. nytimes.com/2026/05/04/opini…

Great video and message. Now do one on large hospital systems.

Drug prices are one of the biggest drivers of unaffordable healthcare & today (Wed) the @USSupremeCourt is hearing arguments on a case that could seriously impact patients’ ability to get timely access to affordable generic drugs. This is one to watch 👀 scotusblog.com/cases/hikma-p…

Unbelievable. While these hospitals make billions in profits and margins — some even “non-profit” — they refuse to support commonsense reforms to ensure families don’t get charged 2-3x more for routine services, just because a large hospital system bought their doc’s office.

High hospital prices are the chief reason the U.S. spends so much more on health care than other countries. If you want to improve health care affordability, hospital costs are a good place to start.

Last year, we found that site-neutral payments would save certain cancer patients OVER $1,000 in out-of-pocket costs annually. As Washington continues to focus on healthcare affordability, site-neutral payments is a proven way to reduce costs for seniors. Let's get this done.

Today, CEOs of some of the country's biggest health systems testified before the House, and were questioned about their profit margins, high prices, and lack of price transparency. While they say they support price transparency, the facts say otherwise.