How Hospitals Charge More When Inflation Is Low

Inflation has been cooling—CPI is at 332.4, core PCE at 129.6—but hospital prices are still climbing at 4% annually. Lucas and Luna examine why medical inflation refuses to follow the broader trend, focusing on the role of private equity roll-ups in hospital systems and the opaque chargemaster pricing that lets hospitals boost charges even when input costs are stable. Using data from the latest CPI report and a recent study on hospital consolidation, they explain how market power, not costs, is driving the wedge. If you're paying higher premiums or bigger copays, this episode shows where that money is actually going. #HospitalInflation #MedicalCosts #PrivateEquity #Chargemaster #CPI #CorePCE #Healthcare #Inflation #PurchasingPower #HospitalPricing #Consolidation #Finance #Business #Podcast #FexingoBusiness #InflationAndYourMoney #LucasAndLuna #HealthEconomics Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo