AHA responds to study blaming hospital prices for societal issues; AHA says hospital prices do not cause suicide, citing hospitals as places of last resort for psychiatric care

In a blog published June 24, the AHA responded to a study blaming hospital prices for a host of societal issues, including job losses outside of health care and increased suicide rates. The study, funded by Arnold Ventures, was highlighted in a Wall Street Journal article. 
 
“To be clear: Hospital prices do not cause suicide,” AHA wrote. “No single thing does. Indeed, the hospital is – or should be – a place of last resort for individuals in need of ongoing psychiatric care. And hospitals are the only part of the health care system that are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to be there when needed, regardless of whether someone has insurance or the ability to pay. We wish we did not have to make such an obvious point, but the weakness of this research compels us to. Perhaps Arnold Ventures should have directed this funding to research on how to reduce suicide rather than a shoddy attack on those who treat behavioral health problems every day.” READ MORE