Two House lawmakers have introduced a bill (HR 5800) that seeks to promote greater transparency about the cost of health care services, Becker's Hospital Review reports (Spoerl, Becker's Hospital Review, 5/22).
Bill Details
The legislation -- introduced by Reps. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) and Gene Green (D-Texas) -- would require:
- States to establish laws mandating that hospitals publicly disclose the cost of inpatient and outpatient services;
- Health insurers to provide enrollees with estimated out-of-pocket costs for health care products and services; and
- The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to identify the types of health care cost data that consumers find beneficial.
Burgess in a statement said, "Arming patients with cost information is an important step in improving our country's health care system with the focus on the patient."
The American Hospital Association supports the bill (AHA News, 5/21).