Texans Want Healthier Health Care Markets in Texas

Texas 2036 proposes a three-point agenda for encouraging competition and lower prices for care.

AUSTIN, TX, UNITED STATES, May 1, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A wave of mergers and acquisitions among hospitals, insurers and private investors has fundamentally reshaped the health care market, leading to the following results: prices have gone up, consumer choice has decreased, and quality of care has remained stagnant.

Texas is on the front lines of many of these trends, with one of the highest shares of residents living in highly concentrated hospital markets among peer states.

National research also shows that consolidation drives up costs without improving outcomes. Hospital mergers, for instance, have increased prices by between 6% and 18%.

Hospitals that acquire physician practices also sometimes add "facility fees" that patients pay in addition to the price of their care. Meanwhile, private equity investment has intensified the overall trend, further raising prices and, in some cases, worsening patient outcomes.

Why Competition Matters

This is not just a health care issue — it’s a market failure. Texans are paying more for fewer choices.

Price variation is widespread, not only between cities but within them; the price of the same medical procedure can be three times as much at one hospital compared to another in the same city without any difference in patient outcomes.

Employers and public health plans end up bearing the burden for these market inefficiencies with those prices ultimately passed along to employees and taxpayers.

Texans Are Ready for Change

Polling confirms that Texans are deeply concerned about the growing consolidation of health care:

● 91% agree that Texans should know who owns their doctor, hospital, and insurer.
● 87% are concerned about investment groups influencing medical decisions.

"This is not a partisan issue — it’s a trust issue," said Charles Miller, Health and Economic Mobility Policy Director at Texas 2036. "Texans want transparent, accountable and fair health care markets."

Introducing the Healthy Markets Framework

In response, Texas 2036 has developed the Healthy Markets framework, grounded in one simple principle: make markets work as they are supposed to. The approach focuses on three pillars:

1. Informed:
○ Expose hidden ownership structures so patients and regulators understand who controls health care delivery.
○ Make pricing data usable for patients, employers, and policymakers.
○ Modernize billing practices and close loopholes that allow facilities to charge more based on ownership.

2. Competitive:
○ Expand the number and types of health care providers, including telehealth services and non-physician clinicians.
○ Empower regulators to review mergers and acquisitions before they reshape local markets.
○ Curb anti-competitive contracting practices that restrict insurer options and patient choice.

3. Engaged:
○ Enable insurance plans to reward patients who choose higher-value, lower-price providers.
○ Remove state barriers that prevent the adoption of incentive-based insurance models.

Unlocking Critical Metrics to Contain Costs

Texas 2036 also advocates for full funding of the state’s All-Payor Claims Database, a critical tool that will enable policymakers to conduct Texas-specific research and drive reforms that promote high-quality, lower-price care across the state’s benefit plans.

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About Texas 2036

Texas 2036 is a nonprofit public policy organization committed to building long-term, data-driven strategies to ensure Texas’ prosperity up to its bicentennial and beyond. Our solutions are nonpartisan, grounded in thorough research and focus on critical issues that seek to improve lives and opportunities for all Texans.

Merrill Davis
Texas 2036
+1 713-213-7297
email us here

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