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Salt Lake City, where Intermountain is based, is highly concentrated. Photo: George Frey/Getty Images
Almost three-quarters of metropolitan areas had highly concentrated hospital markets in 2016, reflecting an era of rapid consolidation among hospital systems, according to a report from the Health Care Cost Institute.
Why it matters: The more hospitals that have monopolies or oligopolies in their markets, the higher the prices are for patients, which is reflected in the premiums everyone pays.