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Hospital markets in most states became more concentrated between 2000 and 2026, according to state fact sheets released in October by Yale University’s Healthcare Affordability Lab.

Cooper's Healthcare Affordability Lab has launched the 1% Steps project. One example Yale economists Zach Cooper offered is encouraging more children to get flu vaccinations at pharmacies and doctors' offices. Preventing illness, he said, can make patients healthier while reducing the need for more expensive medical care.

Average private health insurance premiums rose 78.4% from 2011 to 2024, and growth in healthcare spending accounted for 91% of that increase, according to a study published Sept. 4 in JAMA Health Forum.

The region's largest health system contends its rates are 40% below the national average. One analyst says the payment rates are typical, and another points to hospital consolidation raising prices.

Operating the 361-bed Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New Jersey, it has remained independent in a market anchored by large health systems. Key to its success is clinician succession planning, coupled with academic affiliations, which has enabled it to grow its physician network, said Brendan Maron, vice president of health partner services.

A new initiative by Yale’s Health Care Affordability Lab shows that you don’t need “Medicare for All” to have a dramatic impact on health care costs.

Zack Cooper: WCPT 820 Interview

Health Care Affordability Lab Director Zack Cooper on Saving $450B in Health Spending on MS Now

This summer, two major Colorado health systems announced plans to combine eight Denver hospitals and their associated clinics under a new joint venture. While the deal could create efficiencies amid growing financial pressures on hospitals, it also comes at a time when employers and patients are paying closer attention to the cost of healthcare.