Americans of all walks of life suffer from outrageously high healthcare bill costs, but many patients misplace the blame for the steep prices on drug makers, insurers and other middlemen. U.S. hospitals are just as guilty. In 2023, hospitals took in $1.5 trillion in healthcare fees.
Since the year 2000, hospital prices have soared by over 250 percent, growing at twice the overall rate for medical care and triple the rate of inflation. Skewed incentives in the industry – under a “fee-for-service” model requiring insurers to pay for each medical procedure regardless of importance – encourage hospitals to carry out as many treatments as possible to boost their revenue. But this system does little to meet patients’ needs.
This incentive problem is made worse by the hospital pricing system, in which costs for the same treatment vary widely across hospitals, even hospitals in the same communities leading to widely varying healthcare bill totals. A 2023 study found that the sticker price of a colonoscopy in the Atlanta area ranged from $435 to more than $7,000.
Hospital consolidation, meanwhile, increases prices even higher. Between 2000 and 2020, over 1,600 hospital mergers took place while the share of total hospital beds controlled by chains rose 23 percent. As prices rise, the quality of care remains the same. Additionally, Medicare and private insurers tend to pay more for services provided in hospital chains rather than in independent doctors’ offices.
At Solidarity, we work to ensure that all of our Members are paying a fair price for their treatment. We work to compare costs across facilities, while never sacrificing high-quality, ethical care that aligns with Christian values.
We also negotiate directly with providers to ensure delivery of high-quality and affordable, life-affirming healthcare for the more than 55,000 Members served since 2016. On average, a Solidarity Membership is six percent more affordable than other healthcare sharing ministries, and over 60 percent more affordable than a traditional health insurance policy. In 2024 alone, $67,713,785 in total bill charges were discounted by 65% through our Reference Based Pricing method, for a total savings of $44,130,835.
To learn more about our pricing model and learn how your family can save money on health care, visit our website today.
Sources
The Economist, “How hospitals inflate America’s giant health-care bill,” March 20, 2025 https://www.economist.com/business/2025/03/20/how-hospitals-inflate-americas-giant-health-care-bill
