By Kelsey Burke, Jessica Chang on Tuesday, 08 July 2025
Category: Briefs

Issue Brief: System-affiliated hospitals associated with higher prices

Forty-five percent of per-person health spending among people with employer-sponsored insurance was spent on inpatient or outpatient services. The Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) conducted an analysis of hospital inpatient and outpatient prices by key hospital characteristics from 2012-2022. During our study period, we found system-affiliated hospitals were associated with higher prices; non-profit hospitals were associated with higher inpatient prices; and for-profit hospitals were associated with higher outpatient prices. Inpatient prices were highest among system-affiliated nonprofit hospitals while outpatient prices were highest among system-affiliated forprofit hospitals. Read the brief for more detail.