Good points Ivy. I am not surprised about the hospital costs being one of the factors of rising health care costs. Spending on health care services has increased drastically over the years. Prices for all major categories of health care such as inpatient stays, surgical procedures and outpatient services have increased. Hospital mergers and acquisitions have jumped by 33% between 2009 and 2010. As per a study by a UC Berkeley health policy expert the hospital acquisitions and mergers in an effort to improve patient care is backfiring and have increased health care
