TRENTON — New Jersey has the most expensive hospitals in the nation, with Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center in Secaucus charging the highest rates in the country, according to an analysis of federal data by the largest union and professional association of registered nurses in the nation.

According to the study published Monday by National Nurses United, the largest nurses' organization in the United States, the price of many services has skyrocketed since the mid-'90s. Many hospitals have set charges at 10 times their cost. The 100 most expensive hospitals in the country, for example, in 2011 charged 765 percent of their costs, or $765 for every $100 of total costs.

A small but widely representative group of registered nurses gathered Wednesday morning outside the Tiburon Golf Club in North Naples to protest a multibillion dollar hospital merger.

They are one American in six. They range in age from newborn to 65. They might be anyone – even your neighbor. They are America’s problem and America’s shame. They are America’s 47 million medically uninsured. Contrary to public perception, the uninsured are, for the most part, not the lowest on the economic ladder.

Hospital charges continue to rise, with some procedures billed at more than 10 times their cost, according to a statement from National Nurses United (NNU). The Institute for Health and Socio-Economic Policy, NNU's research arm. conducted the research.

New data released by National Nurses United revealed that not only do a handful of hospitals charge patients more than 10 times the actual cost of treatment but that prices have been steadily increasing for nearly two decades. Skimping on care, patients often pay for it with their health, said Joan Ross, co-president of National Nurses United.