Resources

The 32BJ Health Fund prepared a compendium of state and federal policy interventions to address hospital pricing.

This important reference tool outlines the opportunities and challenges for each solution—with three clear takeaways:

1. There is no one perfect solution to solve the issue of high hospital prices and healthcare costs.
2. It is possible to lower hospital prices while preserving affordability and access to high-quality providers, and it is happening all over the country.
3. New York was notably absent from the states that are actively engaged in tackling the issue of high hospital prices.

The 32BJ Health Fund believes that it can find a path forward for equitable and sustainable solutions that tackle the problem of high hospital prices.

The Health Fund has published a report of its claims data analysis and other publicly available information and found that it was charged $1.1 billion above Medicare prices from 2016 to 2019. 

The leading driver of these costs is the skyrocketing price of hospital care, especially in the New York City market. 

Unless dramatic action is taken to rein in hospital pricing, access to affordable care for the Fund’s plan participants, as well as millions of others who depend on hospitals to provide critical care, is in jeopardy. 

In this report, the Health Fund identifies where hospital prices are highest and how they impact its plan participants. The Fund also addresses some of the most common misconceptions about hospital prices and identify policy interventions that have proved effective in various locations around the country.