For this discussion, you will be required to do some additional reading.
First, review this article: Frakt, A. B. (2011).
How much do hospitals cost shift? A review of the evidence.
The Milbank Quarterly, 89(1), 90-130. Note: this article is available via the UMGC library.
Second, review this article: Priselac, T. M. (2023). The Cost Shift, The Health Care Ecosystem, And Commercial Prices.
Health Affairs Forefront. Available at:
Discussion Prompt:
Once you have read both articles, respond to the questions below:
1. Why do you think there are differing viewpoints on the issue of ‘cost shifting’?
2. Do both authors comment from a position of full knowledge of the health care operating environment? Might the authors’ education and professional role in the industry bias their perspectives?
3. In your opinion, which of the authors is correct?
1.
a. If you believe cost shifting does not exist, how do you foresee hospitals being able to remain financially viable when public payers do not compensate the hospital for the costs it has incurred in health care delivery?
b. If you believe cost shifting does exist, and if a hospital is able to negotiate higher payment rates with private payers, why would it wait for cuts by public payers? In other words, why would the hospital not obtain rates that maximize its revenue in the past?
For more interesting reading on this same topic, in response to the Priselac article, you might also want to review this article: Ginsburg, P. B. (2023). Government And Commercial Insurer Payment Rates To Hospitals: A Commentary On Priselac. Health Affairs Forefront. Available at:
You might also find these articles to be interesting:
· Revenue Cycle Intelligence (2018):
https://revcycleintelligence.com/news/hospital-cost-shifting-increases-private-payer-payments-by-1.6; this is the working paper cited in the article:
· Revenue Cycle Intelligence (2020):
Follow APA formatting for the referred credible resources.
