The Senate Health Policy Committee’s move to create a one-year, $15,000 cap on trauma center fees is a positive development, but still too costly, the Tampa Bay Times editorial board says.
A recent Times report showed the discrepancy of trauma center fees in Florida hospitals, with patients being charged an average of more than $10,800 just for coming though the hospital door. Six trauma centers run by for-profit HCA Healthcare charges an average of $28,000 for comparable services. A lower cap would be a better approach, the Times said.