Supersized: The Rise of Hospital Giants

SINCE THE PASSAGE of the Affordable Care Act, hospital consolidation has dramatically increased. And the results, critics say, are rising costs and less competition. Hospitals are gobbling up smaller rivals; doctors are selling their practices to hospitals; and mega-hospitals are facing off against insurers with newfound negotiating power. Health reform was supposed to curb runaway health costs, but could it be bringing about just the opposite? Are health care “goliaths” increasingly dictating the prices and premiums we pay? And, are there steps that government and private companies can take to lower prices and improve quality in markets that have undergone consolidation? This webinar gave an overview of these trends, clarified what’s at stake for consumers and gave journalists fresh ideas for reporting in new, incisive ways.

This webinar is a project of USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism and NIHCM Foundation.