This probably helps but is not the sole solution. The state of Maryland has done this for 40 years and they have some of the highest Medicare hospital prices in

This probably helps but is not the sole solution. The state of Maryland has done this for 40 years and they have some of the highest Medicare hospital prices in the country. The problem seems to be consolidation: Johns Hopkins has gobbled up most of the other hospitals in the state, and so has significant control over prices. (Source: my wife worked at a rural hospital on the border in a neighboring state.)