Here is a good article about how wildly Medicare costs can vary from place to place: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_gawande http://

Here is a good article about how wildly Medicare costs can vary from place to place: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_gawande http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_... The second highest reimbursement district in the country is in Texas, which passed a draconinan tort reform law back in the 90s (if memory serves), so you can't blame courts or defensive medicine directly.