Maryland hospital rates to tick upward

Patients and their insurers won't see much of a difference in hospital bills in the next year, as the state rate-setting panel decided to adopt a plan favored by the hospitals that holds payments "to a near-freeze level." In a close vote, the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission agreed to lower the rates for inpatients by 1 percent but raise the rates for those receiving outpatient services by 2.59 percent, giving the hospitals an overall increase of 0.3 percent. The rates are for the year starting July 1. The hospital industry was pleased its proposal won the day but said it still doesn't fix the problems with healthcare costs and the state's unique rate-setting system.