Cost Management
The AHA released the 2026 edition of its annual Costs of Caring report. It shows hospitals and health systems continue to face increases in the costs of people, supplies, medicines and infrastructure needed to provide care and services to their communities.
This Costs of Caring report provides a data-driven assessment of the financial realities faced by hospitals and health systems, and underscores why sustainable affordability solutions must address the structural drivers of cost growth rather than focusing narrowly on hospital prices alone.
This report outlines the key trends impacting hospital financial stability in 2025.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Feb. 9 released its 2027 proposed standards for the health insurance marketplaces, including the issuers and brokers who assist marketplace enrollees.
The House Budget Committee hosted a hearing Jan. 21 on health care affordability titled, “Reverse the Curse: Skyrocketing Health Care Costs and America’s Fiscal Future.”
U.S. health care spending reached $5.3 trillion in 2024 — growing 7.2% from 2023 — the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported Jan. 14 in Health Affairs.
The AHA Sept. 4 expressed support for the Hospitals As Naloxone Distribution Sites Act (H.R. 5120), legislation that would require Medicare and Medicaid to cover costs when hospitals provide naloxone to patients at risk of an overdose at no cost to patients.
The AHA May 16 urged the Department of Commerce to consider tariff exceptions for critical minerals and derivative products used for medical purposes. Critical minerals have many medical uses, such as for magnetic resonance imaging, computerized tomography, positron emission tomography,…
The American Hospital Association (AHA) today released a new report showing that hospitals and health systems continue to experience significant financial headwinds that can challenge their ability to provide always-there, essential care to their patients and communities.
While recent data suggest that some hospital and health system finances have experienced modest stabilization from historic lows in 2022, the hospital field is still far from where it needs to be to meet the demand for care, invest in new and promising technologies and interventions, and stand…