A new chart collection examines what we know about the cost of common health services in the U.S.

The analysis shows that costs for many common health services have risen more rapidly than inflation; for example, the average cost of hospital admission among large employer plans increased by about $10,000 (68%) between 2008 and 2018. Additionally, there are large geographic variations in the cost of the same health services across the U.S. A lower back MRI in the Las Vegas, NV area costs $404 on average; in the Houston, TX area, the average price is $1,106.

The chart collection is available on the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, an online information hub dedicated to monitoring and assessing the performance of the U.S. health system.