Coalition urges Congressional leaders to pass health care price transparency

December 11, 2024

Excerpt from the letter:

We the undersigned urge you to finish the job and advance health care price transparency legislation before this Congress ends. Patients, families, employers, purchasers and the business community need improved online access to reliable health care prices in advance of receiving care. As you know, the House passed the Lower Cost, More Transparency Act last year and the Senate has its own version of the bill (S.3548). We need legislation this year to 

• Make health care price reporting reliable by requiring actual prices, not estimates.
• Improve compliance by increasing accountability and strengthening enforcement.
• Expand price transparency to ambulatory surgery centers, labs & imaging centers so more patients benefit from accurate upfront pricing and the ability to compare prices.

… Complete and accurate price transparency will: 

• improve competition which will drive down prices, and 
• allay patient fears of unknown costs of treatment, meaning they’ll be more likely to see the doctor when they need to.