by Anna Claire Vollers, Alabama Reflector
August 7, 2025

This story originally appeared on Stateline. 

As more hospitals have gobbled up private physician practices, costs for childbirth and other services have gone up, according to a new study.

Since the early aughts, the share of physicians in the United States working for hospitals has nearly doubled, according to the study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a nonprofit research organization.

And as fewer doctors work in physician-owned practices, patients or their insurers end up paying more, the study’s authors found.

For example: Two years after a hospital buys an OB-GYN practice, prices for labor and delivery jump an average of $475 and physician prices rise by $502, according to the study. Researchers focused on births, which are the most common reason for hospital admission among people with private insurance.

This rapid acquisition by hospitals is reshaping a U.S. industry once dominated by tens of thousands of small, physician-owned practices.

Only about 42% of U.S. physicians work in a physician-owned private practice, according to the most recent survey data from the American Medical Association. Nearly 47% work for hospitals, a sharp rise over the past several years. Most emergency room physicians are now employed by hospital systems or by private equity-owned staffing groups.

The new research offers further evidence for how hospital acquisitions of private practices “can result in anticompetitive price increases,” said Matthew Grennan, one of the study’s authors and an associate professor of economics at Emory University, in a news release.

“As a result, I think economists and others in the antitrust community are likely to give more careful consideration to these potential sources of harm,” he said.

Medical debt is a leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States, with about 14 million Americans owing more than $1,000 in medical debt, according to research nonprofit KFF.

These post-merger price increases are driven by reduced competition, Grennan and his fellow researchers found. Yet there’s been little effort by federal or state regulators to halt hospital mergers that could lead to higher prices for consumers.

But states have taken some steps toward lowering medical costs in recent years.

Bipartisan groups of lawmakers in more than a dozen states have addressed so-called “facility fees,” which are charges that some hospitals tack on for patient visits to hospital-owned physician offices.

This year in Oklahoma, Republican lawmakers passed a bill requiring hospitals to make the cost of many of their services more transparent to patients so they’re aware of the costs. Providers can face penalties for noncompliance. A similar Oklahoma law authored by Democrats and passed last year requires debt collectors to submit evidence of a hospital’s compliance with price transparency rules before filing to collect on medical debts from patients.

Some states have capped the rates hospitals or physicians can charge. Colorado sets provider and hospitals rates based on a specific formula if insurance plans aren’t able to lower peoples’ premiums to a certain level, while Montana and Oregon limited the amount hospitals and other providers can charge for their state employee health plan.

Stateline reporter Anna Claire Vollers can be reached at avollers@stateline.org.

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org.

Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

The post When hospitals buy physician practices, prices go up appeared first on alabamareflector.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This article presents a fact-based critique of hospital consolidations and their impact on healthcare costs, emphasizing rising prices and decreased competition. It highlights concerns typical of center-left viewpoints, such as the need for regulatory oversight and transparency to curb corporate practices that may harm consumers. The inclusion of bipartisan legislative examples and references to policy responses adds balance, but the focus on the negative consequences of market consolidation aligns with center-left priorities on healthcare affordability and consumer protection.

by Ralph Chapoco, Alabama Reflector
August 6, 2025

The Alabama Ethics Commission unanimously voted Wednesday to adopt an advisory opinion allowing district attorneys to be compensated for another job done outside working hours for their public work.

Staff applied an advisory opinion issued by the Alabama Attorney General’s Office that stated that while district attorneys and assistant district attorneys are on call at all hours, they are not considered working unless they are summoned to work in their official capacity.

“We concur with that opinion and do not consider time outside of regular business hours as time for the purposes of 5-C,” said Brian Paterson, assistant general counsel for the Alabama Ethics Commission.

5-C is a rule prohibits public service employees and officials from using public office for private gain.

The Alabama Ethics Commission in 1998 ruled that a police chief is always working and could not work anywhere while the individual is serving as police chief.

“This opinion would overrule that ‘98 opinion,” Paterson said.

Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

The post Alabama Ethics Commission: DAs can do jobs outside official working hours appeared first on alabamareflector.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

The article reports on the Alabama Ethics Commission’s unanimous decision to allow district attorneys to work outside their official hours without violating ethics rules. The language is neutral and factual, focusing on the technicalities of the advisory opinion and its implications without editorializing or framing the decision as politically charged. It simply explains the legal and procedural aspects of the ruling, citing relevant officials and previous decisions. There is no evident ideological slant or partisan framing, indicating balanced, straightforward reporting.

SUMMARY: A foggy Wednesday morning in Mobile begins with updates on local news. The historic Ace Theater is undergoing a $3.5 million renovation to become a jazz center by early 2027. A 9-person fight at a mobile home park was caught on video, involving a gun but no arrests yet. Brew y’all Coffee replaced its stolen and destroyed mobile trailer, recovering from a $40,000 loss. Mobile City Council candidate Samantha Ingram faces a lawsuit over residency claims, which she denies. Tonight in Daphne, a popular free weather radio programming event will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. Finally, the VMAs are generating buzz, with Lady Gaga leading nominations.

Streaming on “News 5 Now”: A violent brawl caught on camera, a new look coming to an old Mobile theater, and our latest Weather Radio Programming event is today.

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