This is not news, I'm surprised it's in the NYT. Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates are very low and hospitals lose money on these patients. All hospitals depend upon private insurers paying higher rates in order to stay in business. They call this the payor mix (private/medicare/Medicaid).
Based on how they framed it, I am not too surprised it is in the NYT.
Headline: Many Hospitals Charge Double or Even Triple What Medicare Would Pay
You have to get about 80% of the way through to read a more accurate version of the truth:
"Medicare payment rates, which reimburse below the cost of care, should not be held as a standard benchmark for hospital prices”
If you’re going to quote the article, I think it’s important to include context. So let’s broaden your article quote (that is, the article is quoting someone else) just a smidge:
“Medicare payment rates, which reimburse below the cost of care, should not be held as a standard benchmark for hospital prices,” said Melinda Hatton, general counsel for the American Hospital Association, AN INDUSTRY TRADE GROUP, in an emailed statement. [emphasis mine]
You claim that the quoted statement is more accurate / truthful than the statement that private insurers pay more than the Medicare rate, and seem to imply that the Times’ reporting is biased. Did I get that right?
Would you like to furnish some support for those claims?
