(The Center Square) – As Maryland lawmakers prepare to meet for the 2026 legislative session, new statewide polling shows overwhelming public support for reviewing hospital pricing and taking steps to reduce healthcare costs.
A January survey conducted by Gonzales Research & Media Services found that 93.6% of likely Maryland voters think the General Assembly should review hospital pricing and explore policies to reduce healthcare costs. Nearly 80% said lawmakers should “definitely” address the issue, while another 14% said they “probably” should.
Opposition was limited, with only about 5% saying the legislature should not review hospital pricing.
Support for legislative action crossed party lines. Nearly 96% of Democrats said lawmakers should examine hospital pricing. Additionally, 90% of Republicans and 91% of unaffiliated voters agreed. Republicans were slightly less emphatic than Democrats, but still overwhelmingly supportive overall.
The poll surveyed 808 registered voters likely to participate in the 2026 general election and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 points.
Advocates say that hospital pricing has become a central driver of rising healthcare costs in Maryland. Hospital service costs have increased by more than 250% since 2000, according to data cited in the poll’s findings. That far outpaces inflation, wage growth, and increases in household income.
Matthew Kandrach, president of Consumer Action for a Strong Economy and lead of its Hospital Facts initiative, said the results show growing frustration with healthcare affordability.
“This is not a close call or a partisan issue,” Kandrach said in a news release. “When 94% of Marylanders say lawmakers should review hospital pricing, it sends a clear signal: the public expects action.”
Rising hospital costs are often passed on to consumers via higher insurance premiums, larger deductibles, and surprise medical billing, even as large hospital systems report strong financial margins, the advocacy group says.
Consumer Action for a Strong Economy wants lawmakers to use the upcoming legislative session to improve oversight of hospital pricing, examine consolidation within the hospital industry, and pursue price transparency policies.
The group plans to work with lawmakers and other stakeholders throughout the session to ensure health care affordability is a top policy priority this year.
