I guess there is something being done about it:
On its front page, USA Today (5/9, A1, Kennedy) reports upon releasing the data, HHS also announced that "hospitals will now be required to tell patients how much they charge for procedures." HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a conference call, "Currently, consumers don't know what a hospital is charging them or their insurance company for a given procedure, like a knee replacement, or how much of a price difference there is at different hospitals, even within the same city. This data and new data centers will help fill that gap." And more to this point, Jonathan Blum, acting principal deputy administrator and director of the Center for Medicare said, "Hospitals that charge two or three times the going rate will rightfully face higher scrutiny."
On its front page, USA Today (5/9, A1, Kennedy) reports upon releasing the data, HHS also announced that "hospitals will now be required to tell patients how much they charge for procedures." HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a conference call, "Currently, consumers don't know what a hospital is charging them or their insurance company for a given procedure, like a knee replacement, or how much of a price difference there is at different hospitals, even within the same city. This data and new data centers will help fill that gap." And more to this point, Jonathan Blum, acting principal deputy administrator and director of the Center for Medicare said, "Hospitals that charge two or three times the going rate will rightfully face higher scrutiny."