Maryland Hospital Prices:
Time for Reform?
The Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) sets hospital prices for all Marylanders. However, the majority of HSCRC members are representatives from hospitals or other provider organizations, which has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest and oversight. Effectively, the HSCRC is making policy for hospitals, by hospitals.
Four out of the Seven HSCRC Members Represent Hospitals or Provider Organizations with No Consumer Voice Represented.
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While the HSCRC has historically done well at keeping Maryland's health care costs from growing too fast, over the last two years, it has increased hospital prices.
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Since 2023, Maryland's HSCRC has raised hospital budgets by almost 14%. Over the same period, Medicare increased hospital payments by only about 9%. That means Maryland's price increases have been roughly 5 percentage points higher than Medicare's. Every time the HSCRC approves hospital budget increases, those higher costs are passed on to Maryland families and businesses.
But are Maryland families getting their money's worth?
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Maryland has some of the longest emergency room stays in the nation, and also ranks 8th highest in the nation for hospital expenses per inpatient day.
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Patients in Maryland spent an average of 4 hours in the emergency department before leaving from their visit - the third worst in the nation.
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Marylanders pay $3,688 per day for a hospital visit - that's $556 more than the national average, and $601 more than Virginia residents.
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According to patient survey data, 16 out of 56 hospitals (29%) received a rating of 2 stars or lower out of 5.
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In 2023, an estimated 74,867 Marylanders left the emergency department without being seen, higher than in most other states.
The HSCRC can serve Marylanders better.
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The HSCRC should include consumer representation to ensure hospital pricing decisions reflect the needs of Maryland patients and families, not just hospitals. It's time to give Marylanders a voice in how their health care dollars are spent.
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