Hospitals overcharging patients, nurses' union says

New data released by National Nurses United revealed that not only do a handful of hospitals charge patients more than 10 times the actual cost of treatment but that prices have been steadily increasing for nearly two decades. Skimping on care, patients often pay for it with their health, said Joan Ross, co-president of National Nurses United. "If you are presented with a bill, and you know that bill is something you can't afford, you're not going to go in," Ross said. "You're just not going to." Fourteen hospitals charged more than $1,000 for every $100 of their total costs, according to the union's analysis.