An inaugural report by the New York City Health Department aimed at cracking down on sky-high prices hospitals charge patients has gaping holes in it because the Big Apple's largest public-employee insurer refuses to turn over records, officials said. The 263-page report quietly released Friday through the agency's new Office of Healthcare Accountability says hospital prices are wildly inconsistent. The study focused on payments made through the city's health care provider, Anthem Blue Cross, and not private-sector insurance plans. The city's GHI-Comprehensive Benefits Plan through Anthem paid on average $45,150 for inpatient services last fiscal year at New York's top 10 hospital systems.
