Mapped: Michigan hospitals in concentrated markets
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Nearly half of Michigan hospitals are in a highly concentrated market, according to a blog post from Yale's new Health Care Affordability Lab.
Why it matters: As rising health care costs put more financial strain on Americans, "one major and underappreciated factor driving price increases is rising consolidation among U.S. hospitals," the blog post argues.
The big picture: Over the past 20 years, there have been around 1,300 mergers among the nation's approximately 5,000 hospitals.
By the numbers: Michigan has 133 hospitals.
- Thirty-eight of those are considered highly concentrated — a level often associated with higher prices and fewer choices for consumers, per the affordability lab.
- And 25 hospitals were considered part of a monopoly.
Zoom in: Big health system deals in Michigan have recently included the joint venture between Henry Ford Health and Ascension, Beacon Health System's acquisition of four Ascension Southwest Michigan hospitals and U of M Health's acquisition of Lansing-based Sparrow Health System.
The bottom line: Hospitals accounted for 40% of the growth in national health spending between 2022 and 2024 — a much larger share than any other health spending category, per a recent KFF analysis.