Hospital Watch

Exposing corporate hospital price gouging, hidden fees, and monopolistic practices to promote transparency and accountability in healthcare costs.

[Hospital Watch @HospitalWatchUS]

OhioHealth used its dominant market position in Columbus to force insurers into contracts that eliminated budget-conscious plans and shut out competition.

@TheJusticeDept and @OhioAG just put a stop to it. Read why the recent Ohio settlement is a win for patients:

[U.S. Department of Justice @TheJusticeDept]

DOJ’s Swift Win in OhioHealth Antitrust Case: Lessons for Hospital Contracts Nationwide

"In a pivotal moment for regulatory enforcement in the U.S. healthcare sector, the Department of Justice recently achieved a rapid settlement in the highly publicized OhioHealth antitrust case. The speed and decisiveness of this outcome have been described as a major wake-up call for hospitals and large health systems across the country, as legal experts urge a widespread review of contractual practices that may now be prone to regulatory scrutiny."

Read the full article: https://t.co/Q53l19n6Wg

[Hospital Watch @HospitalWatchUS]

PRICE TAG ROULETTE: $782 or $2,144 for a colonoscopy at the same hospital.

@RepBarragan raised this at @HouseCommerce's hearing on healthcare price transparency where expert testimony was clear – corporate hospital consolidation hands hospital systems unchecked market power:

[Hospital Watch @HospitalWatchUS]

Lawmakers at @HouseCommerce are demanding hospitals be held accountable for skyrocketing prices – including @RepHouchin who outlined how opaque pricing allows corporate hospital market dominance to go unchallenged.

See what they said:

[Hospital Watch @HospitalWatchUS]

ICYMI: @RepHarshbarger raised the role of corporate hospital consolidation in driving the healthcare affordability crisis for Americans at last week’s @HouseCommerce health subcommittee hearing.

See what Rep. Harshbarger and other members of Congress said:

[Hospital Watch @HospitalWatchUS]

🚨 Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle sounded the alarm on the critical threat to American patients: corporate hospital systems’ deliberate pricing opacity.

See what they said during Wednesday’s @HouseCommerce hearing on transparency in healthcare:

[Energy and Commerce Committee @HouseCommerce]

In @RepJohnJoyce’s home state of Pennsylvania, 90 percent of hospitals are in compliance with @HHSGov's rule requiring hospitals to publish a machine readable file of standard charges.

Across the country however, over 50 percent of hospitals are out of compliance. That's why we need stronger requirements to increase transparency and safeguard against opaque pricing.

[Hospital Watch @HospitalWatchUS]

3 issues on the table we’re watching for during today's @HouseCommerce hearing:

1️⃣Require hospitals to post prices
2️⃣Mandate public disclosure of hospital mergers & acquisitions
3️⃣Enforce penalties for hospitals still hiding what they charge

Tune in here:

[Energy and Commerce Committee @HouseCommerce]

🚨 LIVE NOW

Chairman @RepMGriffith is holding a Health hearing on legislation to increase health care price transparency for patients and employers.

WATCH ⬇️
https://t.co/19VXBedjsV

[Hospital Watch @HospitalWatchUS]

STICKER SHOCK: Corporate hospitals have been found to mark up procedures up to 13x what independent practices charge for the same care.

Congress must hold corporate hospital systems accountable during today’s @HouseCommerce hearing:

[Hospital Watch @HospitalWatchUS]

TODAY: @HouseCommerce is looking for solutions to increase price transparency across the healthcare industry. Any honest conversation about healthcare affordability must look at the #1 culprit preventing it: corporate hospital systems.

Our statement:

[Hospital Watch @HospitalWatchUS]

Corporate hospital systems have hidden their prices from patients for years. @SecKennedy & @DrOzCMS have a simple message: post the price or face serious consequences.

That's exactly the kind of accountability patients deserve. Learn more:

[Secretary Kennedy @SecKennedy]

For years, hospitals kept Americans in the dark about the true cost of care. Families made medical decisions without knowing the price—and too often got hit with bills that drained their savings.

That ends now.

Under President Trump’s leadership, HHS is enforcing hospital price transparency with real consequences. @DrOzCMS and I have a simple message for hospitals: Post your actual prices. Come into compliance immediately—or face serious consequences.

[Hospital Watch @HospitalWatchUS]

Patients from across the nation are sharing their stories of corporate hospital price gouging, urging Congress to take action.

See why Americans are demanding accountability for hospitals’ predatory pricing practices:

[Hospital Watch @HospitalWatchUS]

Americans are sharing the real costs of corporate hospital systems’ predatory pricing – and are calling on Congress to act.

Read their stories:

[Hospital Watch @HospitalWatchUS]

From a Florida man's $200,000 bill for a 3-day stay to charges they never agreed to, patients are demanding Congress hold corporate hospital systems accountable for predatory pricing.

Check out their stories here:

[Hospital Watch @HospitalWatchUS]

FLASHBACK: The DOJ sued Atrium Health in 2016 for anticompetitive practices. Now, that same system wants to absorb WakeMed & cement statewide market dominance.

Brian Miller & Ardis Watkins write in @CarolinaJournal why NC's hospital markets can't afford another corporate merger:

https://t.co/gmWfzKo71f

[Hospital Watch @HospitalWatchUS]

DEBUNKED: @Paragon_Inst responds directly to AHA's false attacks on their hospital pricing paper.

See their response:

[Paragon Health Institute @Paragon_Inst]

🚨NEW🚨The American Hospital Association Responds to Paragon: Our Reply

The industry is turning to the same lobbying tactics that have enriched it for decades and led to increasing costs and market consolidation. We address all four of AHA’s criticisms⬇️
https://t.co/I7ztYgfMhA

[Hospital Watch @HospitalWatchUS]

An Oklahoma woman survived a brain aneurysm – then faced a $150,000 hospital bill with charges disproportionate to the care provided.

Adam L. Buckalew writes in @TheOklahoman_ how opaque pricing and hidden markups are crushing Oklahoma families who can least afford it:

[The Oklahoman @TheOklahoman_]

Opinion: Time for Congress to hold hospital monopolies accountable | Opinion https://t.co/DuKgQCGkGJ

[Hospital Watch @HospitalWatchUS]

For years, corporate hospital systems in Missouri have been allowed to eliminate competition & overcharge whatever the market will tolerate.

Adam L. Buckalew notes in @stltoday how hospitals’ anti-competitive practices are driving up costs and sticking Missourians with the bill:

[Hospital Watch @HospitalWatchUS]

What does unchecked hospital consolidation look like?
@RepJasonSmith described it as "borderline extortionary prices."

Congress can no longer let corporate hospital systems escape accountability for driving healthcare costs higher, Adam L. Buckalew writes in @dcexaminer:

[Hospital Watch @HospitalWatchUS]

“Private equity is often the kiss of death for hospitals.”

@RepJudyChu didn’t mince words: when corporations take over hospital systems, the priority shifts from patient care to investor return, leaving patients to pay the price.

Watch: