Ge Bai, PhD, CPA

Using nationally representative data, the authors found that for common physician-administered drugs, hospitals’ unilaterally set cash prices are frequently lower than their median—and sometimes even their lowest—commercial negotiated prices.

To mark the 30th anniversary of The American Journal of Managed Care, each issue in 2025 includes a special feature: reflections from a thought leader on what has changed—and what has not—over the past 3 decades and what’s next for managed care. The October issue features a conversation with Ge Bai, PhD, CPA, professor of accounting at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and professor of health policy and management at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland.

This study examines the ability of self-insured employers to negotiate hospital prices and the relationship between hospital prices and employer market power in the United States.