Medical bills in the United States have risen outrageously since the beginning of the 1960s, and steps need to be taken to reverse this trend or the average American will not be able to afford medical care. The major factor in increasing the cost of medical care has been the dramatic increase in the cost of hospital services. The rise in the cost of hospitalization can be only partly blamed on inflation since hospital bills in the last two decades have risen at a considerably higher rate than inflation.