America's Health Insurance Plans, under fire for rising policy premiums, is touting a new study that shifts the responsibility for climbing prices to the hospital sector.
A report from AHIP researchers, published in the March issue of the American Journal of Managed Care, found that hospital inpatient prices increased 8.2% per year between 2008 and 2010. They attributed 1.3 to 1.9 percentage points of that increase to more-complex care and a greater number of procedures.
It also found significant differences in pricing growth among states and metropolitan areas.
The study also comes on the heels of a report card from the Catalyst for Payment Reform and the Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute, which gave 29 states an F for pricing transparency and seven states a D.