On Tuesday, the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) filed a lawsuit against the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) after the agency, under the leadership of the Biden administration, failed to respond to FGA’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to obtain documents pertaining to a 2020 rule requiring hospitals to make standard charges public (84 FR 65524). Information FGA has uncovered to date reveals that CMS is failing to fully enforce the hospital price transparency rule. FGA chose to file suit after CMS repeatedly stonewalled their FOIA requests regarding the rule’s enforcement.
FGA released a report this morning revealing that nearly two-thirds of hospitals are not complying with the rule’s price transparency requirements, with several large hospitals and hospital systems being key violators of the rule.
“Though the Biden administration initially seemed to improve the hospital price transparency rule through increased penalties, its unwillingness to fully enforce the rule has rendered those improvements meaningless,” said Tarren Bragdon, FGA President and CEO. “With soaring inflation rates and hospitals raising prices, Americans shouldn’t have to worry or guess what a hospital visit will cost them. Patients deserve to know real prices up-front and we intend to do everything in our power to ensure the Biden administration enforces this rule. No hospital, big or small, should get away with non-compliance and CMS has an obligation to hold these hospitals accountable.”
