operates within state boundaries: cross-market, within-state hospital mergers yield price increases of 7-9 percent for … or service, but are bundled by a common intermediary. Focusing on hospital mergers across distinct geographic markets, we … higher prices (or lower-quality care). Using data on hospital mergers from 1996-2012, we find support that this mechanism …

by 15.9% and hospital costs by 4.7%. Our estimation results show that the effects on charge prices do not last as long as … negotiated prices, while low-price hospitals increase charges; (2) hospital characteristics such as ownership, case mix, and … payer mix; and (3) hospital size and market competition. We also conduct counterfactuals to predict price changes of non …