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Overview

The National Alliance is equipping employers/purchasers and coalitions to better utilize the tools of transparency to achieve a fair price for hospital services.

Beyond Hospital Transparency

Getting to Fair Price

Hospital costs are one of the fastest-growing expenditures in the US economy, with employers/purchasers and employees paying the highest prices in the world. Increasing market consolidation enables health systems to operate with little or no competition or market constraints. This has led to indefensible hospital pricing and minimal constraint on growth, further “investment” in market consolidation, and bloated overhead costs.

While the battle to curb healthcare costs has been going on for decades, it wasn’t until recently that employers and other purchasers had access to the data to truly understand just how non-responsive the system has been. Sage Transparency synthesizes multiple sources of data to bring greater focus to the current state of hospital prices.

The National Alliance is helping employers/purchasers navigate the data; understand their plan sponsor fiduciary rights and responsibilities; determine what a fair price is for hospital services in specific marketplaces; and offer guidance about options to achieve fair pricing.

Fair Price Resources

Employers/purchasers are often paying hospitals more than two times what’s required to break even, with some prices reaching over 300%, 400%, and even 500% of Medicare. These resources support efforts to determine and achieve a fair price for hospital services.

Guidebook

Setting the Record Straight: The Urgency of Achieving Hospital Fair Price

New data transparency reinforces what we have long known: Hospital prices are out of control and we can't rely on health systems and health plans to course correct. This resource sets the record straight on the top 10 hospital industry myths driving the largest expense for American families and businesses.
Playbook

Hospital Price Transparency Playbook

The National Alliance created a playbook for employers/purchasers and regional business coalitions, “Beyond Hospital Transparency: Getting to Fair Price.”
Dashboard

Sage Transparency Hospital Value Dashboard

The no-cost Sage Transparencyhospital value dashboard is interactive and customizable, giving users access to price and quality data for thousands of hospitals nationwide.
Tool

NASHP Hospital Costs Tool and Resources

To support efforts to better understand and address hospital costs, the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) has developed an interactive hospital cost tool with supporting resources. (NASHP data is included in the Sage Transparency tool.)
Report

Employer Hospital Price Transparency Project

Employers’ Forum of Indiana in Partnership with the RAND Corporation released a study in May 2022. It revealed that, in 2020, across all hospital inpatient and outpatient services, employers/purchasers and private insurers paid 224% of what Medicare would have paid for the same services at the same facilities.

Coalitions In Action

Membership in the National Alliance is a catalyst for state and regional coalitions and their employer/purchaser members to advance key initiatives. Together, they leverage their collective influence to drive health, equity and value.

quote
When it comes to negotiating for fair healthcare prices, no single employer has the market power to effect change. Uniting for impact and setting shared expectations will help make healthcare more competitive.
Chris Skisak, PhD, Executive Director
Houston Business Coalition on Health