Why do hospital bills get so expensive?

Annual health care spending in the U.S. is estimated to be at $3.5 trillion, and hospital costs make up almost a third of that total. Kaiser Health News, in partnership with NPR, uncovers inconsistencies in its "Bill of the Month" series. This month, the series looks at Drew Calver who was hospitalized last year in Austin,Texas, for a heart attack and needed four stents in his arteries. His health insurance covered $55,000, but a month after treatment, he and his wife, Erin, got a bill for nearly $109,000. Kaiser Health News editor-in-chief Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal joins "CBS This Morning" to break down Calver's bill. She also discusses how hospital costs get so high and what people can do to reduce the cost of their medical bills.
Source: Health News: CBSNews.com - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news