Study: Some for-profit hospitals charging 10x Medicare rates

MIAMI, FL -- A study appearing in the June issue of the journal Health Affairs has found that 20 of the 50 U.S. hospitals that charge the most for their services are located in Florida. All but one of them are for-profits.

Most states don't limit what hospitals charge for their services, making it easier for hospitals to set excessively high rates. U.S. hospitals charged on average more than three times the Medicare-allowable costs.

The study comes amid a national push to increase transparency in hopes of curbing rising health costs.

The study encouraged lawmakers to require hospitals to publish cost data.

Some for-profit hospitals criticized the study, saying it did not account for the discounts and billions in charity care that they give low-income patients.