Few communities in the United States have been exempt from the recent wave of consolidation among health care providers, whether it is hospital-to-hospital mergers and acquisitions (horizontal consolidation) or hospital acquisitions of physician groups and other ambulatory service providers (vertical consolidation). Increased provider concentration has been demonstrated to lead to…

Rising health care prices have increased concerns about hospital and health system consolidation among policymakers, regulators, employers, and other purchasers of health coverage. Although merging hospitals and health systems claim they can achieve greater efficiencies through their consolidation, the economic literature almost universally finds that hospitals that merge have prices…

Rising health care prices have increased concerns about hospital and health system consolidation among policymakers, regulators, employers, and other purchasers of health coverage. Although merging hospitals and health systems claim they can achieve greater efficiencies through their consolidation, the economic literature almost universally finds that hospitals that merge have prices…

Rising health care prices have increased concerns about hospital and health system consolidation among policymakers, regulators, employers, and other purchasers of health coverage. Although merging hospitals and health systems claim they can achieve greater efficiencies through their consolidation, the economic literature almost universally finds that hospitals that merge have prices…

NIHCR Policy Analysis No. 10

Outpatient prescription drugs account for about 10 percent—$259 billion in 2010—of total U.S. health spending. Expiring patents on many of the most commonly prescribed drugs have helped slow the rate of spending growth in recent years, but drug spending is likely to accelerate again as new drugs come to market.…