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FACT BRIEF

Are Wisconsin hospital prices ranked fourth-highest in the nation?

By Tom Kertscher
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YES

Wisconsin hospital prices ranked fourth-highest among 49 states, according to a study released in May 2022 by RAND Corp., a California-based research organization.

Those are RAND's latest figures.

RAND found that in Wisconsin in 2020, prices paid to hospitals by employers and private insurers, for inpatient and outpatient services, was 307% of what the government would have paid for Medicare patients.

The highest hospital prices were in South Carolina (322%), West Virginia (317%) and Florida (309%). Maryland was not part of the study.

Wisconsin hospital prices were driven by prices for professional services, such as physicians. Wisconsin ranked second at 384% of Medicare on that measure, behind Alaska (411%).

The Wisconsin Senate Health Committee held a hearing Oct. 4, 2023, on Senate Bill 328, which would require hospitals to disclose prices for certain services.

Republican lawmakers introduced the bill in June.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
RAND Private Health Plans During 2020 Paid Hospitals 224 Percent of What Medicare Would Pay
Google Docs RAND: Hospital prices
Wisconsin State Legislature 2023 Senate Bill 328
Wisconsin State Legislature Wisconsin Legislature: SB328: Bill Text
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Wisconsin Watch
Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.