Same Knee Surgery, Twice the Price: Hospital Monopolies Push Up Healthcare Costs By Peter Whoriskey Aug. 10, 2026

https://kffhealthnews.org/health-industry/hospital-mergers-monopolies-drive-healthcare-costs-asheville-north-carolina/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9LLDOv7MHK215B5Xco7ZTLamV2fHVs5SUfZMepfTtCNYvPRxtBxpUitu0mEuGoV9NvqM5AWEyWmOXk-N_RpZNoBmzh1g&_hsmi=432352679&utm_content=432352679&utm_source=hs_email KFF Health News: Same Knee Surgery, Twice The Price: Hospital Monopolies Push Up Healthcare Costs More than a million times a year, a U.S. surgeon slices open a knee, strips out worn cartilage, caps the leg bones with metal, and drops in a plastic spacer to allow the new joint to glide. While knee replacement procedures have become standard, however, the prices charged have not. (Whoriskey, 8/10)