A new report released by the Health Care Cost Institute detailed the differences in the cost of healthcare across 112 metro areas in the U.S.
The HCCI analyzed 1.78 billion commercial claims to compare the average prices paid for the same healthcare services in the differing metro areas from 2012 to 2016.
Here are the key details to know:
1. Healthcare prices were the lowest in Baltimore, at 33 percent below the national average.
2. Healthcare prices were the highest in San Jose, Calif., at 65 percent above the national average.
3. Variation in prices is due to differences in the growth of pricing for services categories, such as professional services, as well as the volume of inpatient and outpatient care, according to the HCCI. The differences in prices between metro areas can also be attributed to concentration and availability of inpatient, outpatient and professional services. In the Dayton, Ohio, metro areas, for example, the cost of professional services was 22 percent below the national average and the cost of inpatient services was 18 percent above the national average.
4. Growth and price levels don't always move in the same direction, however. In Los Angeles, for example, the total cost of healthcare is 11 percent above the national average, with the area experiencing 7 percent growth in total costs since 2012. In Savannah, Ga., costs are 23 percent below the national average, with the area experiencing 4 percent growth in total costs since 2012.
To read the full report, click here.