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Orange Park Medical Center Among Worst Price-Gouging Hospitals In The Nation

News4Jax

A Washington Post study finds Florida is home to a large portion of U.S. hospitals that charge uninsured patients far more than the cost of care.

The report published Monday names the 50 U.S. hospitals that are charging uninsured patients more than 10 times the cost of treating them. A couple of trends are apparent among the worst offenders. All but one are owned by for-profit companies. And 20 of them are in Florida.

Of the hospitals charging more than 1,000 percent the cost of care, nearly half are in the Sunshine State, including the worst offenders, North Okaloosa Medical Center in Crestview.

Orange Park Medical Center is No. 8 on the list, with average charges of more than 1,000 percent the cost of care. The Post says patients most likely to be overcharged are the uninsured, out-of-network insured and those paying with car insurance or workers’ comp.

Jessica Palombo supervises local news gathering and production, podcasts and web editorial content for WJCT News, ADAPT and Jacksonville Today. She is an award-winning writer and journalist with bylines including NPR, Experience Magazine, and The Gainesville Sun. She has a master’s degree in broadcast and digital journalism from Syracuse University and is an alumna of the University of Florida. A nearly lifelong resident of Jacksonville, she considers herself lucky to be raising her own children in her hometown. Follow Jessica Palombo on Twitter: @JaxJessicaP