To: Kamala Harris, California Attorney General, Dave Jones, California Insurance Commissioner, and Diana S. Dooley, California Health & Human Services Secretary

Keep California Healthcare Costs Under Control!

California hospitals are currently charging an average of 300% above costs for basic health care.

Californians can't afford it.

Keep hospitals from overcharging by limiting prices to reasonable levels of no more than 25% above costs, with allowances made to offset costs of charity care.

Why is this important?

Can you imagine going to your local pharmacy and paying $21 for a single aspirin tablet, $18 for two Alka-Seltzer, or $35 for a tube of hydrocortisone cream?*

Hospitals in California charge prices like these every day--overcharging by 500% or more above their actual costs. On top of that, nonprofit hospital system CEOs are making up to $4.8 million a year!**

Rising healthcare costs are keeping many Californians from getting the care they need, and leaving others under a growing mountain of healthcare debt. Meanwhile, the hospital industry in California made more than $4 billion in profits in 2012.

We can’t afford it. California’s healthcare providers must bring costs down to reasonable, affordable rates.

Ask California’s health care regulators to keep hospitals to a reasonable rate of no more than 25% above the true cost of medical care (including material, facility, and labor costs), with allowances made to offset costs of charity care. We will deliver your signature directly to California Attorney General Kamala Harris, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, and California Health & Human Services Secretary Diana S. Dooley.

*Prime Centinela Medical Center, Inglewood; Sutter Memorial Hospital, Sacramento; Cedars-Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles
**Lloyd Dean made $4,882,756 million from July, 2011 to June, 2012 as CEO of Dignity Health.