HF2096: Health Services Price Transparency

Requires health care providers and hospitals to publicly disclose the prices for their most common services. Providers must list the prices for their 25 most common services, while hospitals must list prices for their 75 most common inpatient and 75 most common outpatient services. The price lists must be updated regularly and include plain language descriptions and coding. All disclosed prices must carry a disclaimer stating they are estimates, not binding, and subject to change based on specific circumstances. 

Key Points & Impact:

• Health care providers must publicly disclose the prices for their 25 most common services, prior to discounts and absent medical complications.

• Hospitals must publicly disclose prices for their 75 most common inpatient and 75 most common outpatient services, grouped by Medicare diagnosis-related group, also prior to discounts and absent complications.

• Disclosures must be made available in a single document, electronically or via conspicuous website posting.

• All services must be identified by both a national billing code and a plain language description.

• Providers must update price information at least annually; hospitals must update quarterly.

• All disclosed prices must include a disclaimer that they are estimates and not legally binding, with charges subject to actual circumstances.

• The Department of Health and Human Services will adopt rules to align these requirements with existing federal price disclosure laws and avoid duplication.

• No appropriations or direct funding are contained in this bill.