Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) penned this op-ed for the Farmerville Gazette explaining the need for hospitals to be transparent with patients about the cost of key services so that patients can choose the providers and care options that are best for them. Kennedy’s legislation, the Hospital Transparency Compliance Enforcement Act, would give Louisiana families clarity and save them money when they face medical bills.
Below are key excerpts:
“For far too long, Americans have been left in the dark when it comes to the cost of their medical services and procedures.
“Last year, a rule requiring hospitals to publicly display the costs of their services online went into effect. The problem is, a year later, many hospitals still aren’t abiding by it.
“That is why I introduced the Hospital Transparency Compliance Enforcement Act—a bill to enforce hospital price transparency.
“No one should ever have to walk into a hospital for a routine procedure and walk out with the fear that their bill may be thousands of dollars more than they were expecting.”
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“Americans are always looking for the best value, and that does not stop when it comes to their health care. According to a report from Public Agenda, 56 percent of Americans have tried to determine the price of their health care in advance.
“The Hospital Transparency Compliance Enforcement Act would crack down on hospitals that are hiding their costs by doubling the current government penalties for not being transparent about pricing.”
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“When one hospital charges $9,000 for a Cesarean section and another hospital charges $165,000 for the same Cesarean section, there needs to be transparency.”
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“All patients have a right to shop for their care, as they do for every other service. Enforcing hospital price transparency will not only increase competition, but it will also help lower overall health care costs and save patients money.”
The op-ed is available here.
