Vlada · Research · 2026-09-09 · derived
A blood test is charged about 5 times what it cost the hospital.
A blood test, charged over what it cost
| 6,547 US hospitals | x |
|---|---|
| Steepest 10% of hospitalstop tenth | 15.2 |
| Typical hospitalmedian | 5.1 |
| Gentlest 10% of hospitalsbottom tenth | 1.8 |
Markup, the price on the bill over what the care cost, laboratory cost center, across 6,547 hospitals; median 5.1 times, bottom tenth 1.8 times, top tenth 15.2 times; Medicare cost report (Form 2552-10), Worksheet C; read September 2026. The markup is the price on the bill; an insured patient pays a lower negotiated rate. · Hospital Medicare cost report (Form 2552-10), Worksheet C, as filed; Vlada mart_hospital_dept_ccr, vintage v20260728T012955Z. · 3 rows
The posted figure
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- This is the price on the bill, what the price list charges, not what an insured patient pays. A plan pays a negotiated rate, and it is lower.
- Markup is the hospital's own charge over its own reported cost. It is not profit; what a hospital charges and what it collects are different numbers.
- Cost comes from the hospital's Medicare cost report, one figure per department per year. It is the hospital's own accounting, not an independent audit.
- Each hospital counts once, at its latest available report. 5,665 of 6,708 reports are from fiscal 2023 or later; some are older.
- The lab cost center covers all blood and diagnostic lab work, not one specific test.
- The 1.8-times and 15.2-times figures are the bottom and top tenth of hospitals, not the floor and ceiling.
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