An interesting news item from AHANews.com on hospital charges and payments: A study reported in the May-June issue of Health Affairs compares what hospitals charged self-pay patients in 2004 with payments made by insurance companies, which often negotiate deep discounts. The author found hospitals in 2004 charged self-pay patients an average of 2.5 times what health insurers pay and three times more than Medicare-allowable costs.
To read full study: From ‘Soak The Rich’ To ‘Soak The Poor’: Recent Trends in Hospital Pricing, Health Affairs, 26, No. 3 (2007): 780-789