Aren’t hospital groups in the us privately owned? So isn’t there a profit incentive to cost reduction or increasing efficiency? If so how come capitalistic forces hasn’t driven the cost down?
Additionally hospitals and insurance companies both benefit by overcharging. The insurance company gets to negotiate a discount on the bill, then advertise these discounts to employers and individuals when they sell coverage. Hospitals get to write down the difference between the inflated billed price, and the actual paid amount.
One sector of healthcare where market forces have reduced costs are procedures not covered by insurance. Eye surgery and cosmetic surgery.