More New Jersey hospitals are becoming members of large health systems and that's raising prices and medical debt for residents, while big hospital systems reap profits, according to researchers. Urban Institute, a think tank that conducts economic and social policy research, analyzed 10 years of data to explore the link between the number of large companies controlling hospitals in a given market and people's ability to pay their medical bills on time. Between 2012 and 2022, researchers found patients in counties that experienced larger increases in hospital market concentration — in which a small number of companies increasingly control a large portion of the market — had a harder time paying off medical debt. Healthcare experts say the research shows how unchecked hospital consolidation harms consumers.
