New York Times Quotes HCFO Grantees on Hospital Pricing

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HCFO grantees Glenn Melnick, University of Southern California, and James Robinson, University of California, Berkeley, were quoted in a New York Times article on hospital prices. Melnick stated that hospital charges are set by the hospital without market constraints; the arbitrary nature of these charges contributes to increases in health care spending and inflation. Robinson concurred and offered, “The only way to pay less for health care – is to pay less for health care,” noting that hospitals are ever-expanding and will utilize the resources they are provided. Melnick’s HCFO-funded work has examined fair-pricing regulations, hospital pricing, and the effect of plan concentration on hospital prices. Robinson’s HCFO-funded work focused on consolidation in the health insurance and hospital sectors.