A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers is set to examine a bill to require hospitals and insurance companies to display prices for provided services. The Patients Deserve Price Tags Act, introduced by Sens. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, and John Hickenlooper, D-Co., would require hospitals to publicly report negotiated rates, costs, and cash prices for ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, and clinical labs.
Bill Details
The bill would give patients more flexibility to compare prices between various providers. It would also guarantee group health plans have access to claims data and prevent third parties from restricting access to the claims data for patients. The secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services would be required to collect a monthly report of each hospital’s standard charges and establish a format for hospitals to compile and make public standard charges.
Cynthia Fisher, founder of Patient Rights Advocate, praised the bill’s progress, saying it will allow patients to match their bills to the negotiated rates with hospitals and insurance providers. Sen. Marshall estimated the bill would reduce healthcare costs for families by $1,000 per month when it is signed into law.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
