Problem 1: The public and those that represent the public (legislatures, insurance companies, consumer groups) have concluded that healthcare prices are outrageous. What can the healthcare industry do to restore public confidence?
Problem 2: Imagine that you are the CEO of a nonprofit community hospital located in a small city. An influential patient is in your office with a hospital bill that she received recently for a one-day stay in your hospital (most of the time was spent in the emergency room). The bill, excluding physician charges, was $17,000. The patient thinks this is outrageous, and she wants to know what the care actually cost the hospital. What do you tell her?