End Unfair Healthcare Pricing

Healthcare prices and medical debt are growing problems. One thing that makes matters worse is that hospitals charge patients and insurers two to three times more than independent clinics for the exact same services, even when the care is delivered in nearly identical settings, by the same providers. Making matters worse, hospitals continue to consolidate local markets and reap the financial benefits of an outdated payment system.

This system distorts prices, reduces patient choice, and inflates insurance premiums, all while independent providers struggle to survive. Medicare and private insurers spend billions more than necessary every year, not because of better care, but simply because of where that care is delivered.

Site-neutral payment reform would ensure that the same service costs the same amount, whether it is performed at a hospital-owned facility or an independent clinic. It is a common-sense fix that protects patients, lowers costs, and strengthens access to care.

New York, and the nation, need site-neutral payment reform to…

1. Stop price inflation and consolidation: Hospitals are purchasing independent clinics and reclassifying them as hospital outpatient departments — then billing Medicare and insurers at far higher rates. This practice is fueling rapid consolidation, crushing competition, and driving up costs.

2. Stop overcharging patients and undermining access: Patients are routinely charged more for the same services simply because their clinic is owned by a hospital. These inflated costs, often hidden behind facility fees, increase out-of-pocket expenses and make care less affordable. Meanwhile, independent clinics that offer lower prices are being pushed out of the market.

3. Save taxpayers money: Medicare overpays billions of dollars each year due to site-based pricing differences that have no clinical justification. Reforming this system would reduce government spending and ensure that tax dollars are spent more wisely. This would save medicare an estimated $150 billion.

Take Action Today

We cannot afford to wait! Tell your congressional representatives to support site-neutral payment reform to lower health care costs and protect patient access.

*Use NYPIRG’s Representative Finder to find your federal representatives and get their contact information.

Sample message:

Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME], and I am a resident of [YOUR MUNICIPALITY], NY. I urge [REPRESENTATIVE NAME] to fight for site-neutral healthcare pricing as part of any congressional agreement on healthcare. It is not fair for the cost of people’s medical care to be based on whether a hospital happens to own the building where that care is delivered. Site-neutral pricing provisions would help make healthcare more affordable for patients and save taxpayers money. I urge [REPRESENTATIVE NAME] to push for it. Thank you.

Thank you for your help!

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NYPIRG calls on Congress to defend National Environmental Policy Act  (Mid-Hudson News, August 19, 2025)
Good government groups sidelined in NY redistricting dialogue  (Capitol Pressroom, August 19, 2025)
New York's finances get bleaker  (WAMC, August 18, 2025)
Area politicians are reeling in campaign funds from far outside Western New York  (The Buffalo News, August 17, 2025)
Hundreds march over Brooklyn Bridge to oppose pipeline in New York waters  (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, August 14, 2025)
Will Hochul’s focus on redistricting fight distract from state governance?  (City & State, August 11, 2025)
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Hundreds march across Brooklyn Bridge to protest Staten Island pipeline, other projects  (SILive.com, August 9, 2025)
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Good government groups fire back at Hochul over redistricting after she tells them 'politics is a political process'  (Spectrum News 1, August 5, 2025)
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News Archive
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Reports & Features Archive