Monterey has among the highest hospital prices in the state

We submit these comments in advance of the August 28, 2024 Board meeting to be held in Monterey County, a fitting location for OHCA to discuss health care affordability given the many workers who have shared with the Board their compelling and concerning stories about the health care affordability challenges they face at the three hospitals in Monterey and Salinas: Community Hospital of the Monter. [...] Our review of the available data reinforces the severe health care affordability challenges related to hospital prices in the Monterey and Salinas area, as we summarized in our September 2023 blog post “Why are health care prices so high for workers in Monterey County?” and as we describe in this letter.i Monterey has among the highest hospital prices in the state An analysis by Health Care Cost I. [...] HHI estimates for hospitals in the Monterey region vary based on the methods and definition of the market–from 3,339 based on UC Berkeley Petris Center analysis of American Hospital Association Annual Survey Database with the market defined by the county, to in the range of 6,000-8,000 based on estimates analysis by the Yale Tobin Center for Economic Policy with the market defined as all hospitals. [...] Increase public understanding of drivers of spending One of OHCA’s charges in statute is “analyzing the health care market for cost trends and drivers of spending.”xviii This is critical for understanding the rate of spending growth and why spending levels and growth vary between entities, industries, or regions. [...] Conclusion Since the first OHCA Board meeting in March 2023, many workers from Monterey County have trekked to Sacramento to describe the struggles they face affording health care in a region with among the highest-priced hospital care in the state.