What is a hospital markup?

A hospital markup (charge-to-cost ratio) is total gross charges divided by total costs. A ratio of 4.0 means the hospital's list-price charges are four times what it actually spent to deliver care. Markups come from each hospital's Medicare cost report (HCRIS).

What is the average hospital markup in the U.S.?

The median U.S. hospital marks up its charges — over costs, based on 0 hospitals with complete Medicare cost reports. The highest-markup hospitals charge far more — see the ranking below.

▸ DATA STUDY · 2025 EDITION

Hospital Markups

Markup figures are being refreshed from the latest HCRIS release. Browse hospitals by state in the meantime.