WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08) joined NewsNation’s Morning in America to discuss the Committee’s recent hearing with CEOs of massive hospital systems, highlighting how those systems are exploiting loopholes and consolidating to drive up costs and reduce access to health care for working-class families.
Click here to watch the full interview.
Interview Excerpts
On holding health care empires accountable despite their blame game strategy…
“We brought in the 5 largest health insurers just a few months back and they pointed to the hospitals as the reason why premiums are going up. So we brought in some of the largest hospital CEOs this week – they pointed to the insurers.”
On hospitals ripping off patients by charging 10x more for the same service…
“Health care is absolutely broken. It was disturbing in the hearing that we had…with the hospitals, it was pointed out that the same service that you would use in a clinic owned by a hospital would be 5-to-10 times more than a clinic owned by an independent [physician]. For example, there was a gentleman from Florida that their CAT scan in the hospital clinic cost $13,000. But then, they went to an independent doctor’s office, and it cost 79 bucks.”
On hospital systems driving Americans into medical debt…
“When you look at hospitals alone, [they] are $1.6 trillion of all health care spending. And if you look at debt of Americans, on medical debt, 75% of their debt is to hospitals.”
On a flagship Manhattan hospital absurdly being designated as a “rural” facility…
“At the hearing this week, we had the CEO from New York-Presbyterian right there. I asked him…your flagship hospital in Manhattan is designated as ‘rural.’ I don’t know of any farms on East 68th Street in Manhattan. So how do you classify there? They’re using loopholes within the system to game it.”
[Hena Doba]: “Yes, and I know that hospital in New York and it is one of the more popular ones, in a very busy metro area. No farms there whatsoever.”
READ: Nine Key Moments: Hearing with Health System CEOs
READ: Chairman Smith to Hospital System CEOs: The Prices You Charge Patients Are Borderline Extortion
READ: 5 Key Moments from Ways and Means Committee Hearing with Health Insurance CEOs