This New Way To Fight Hidden Hospital Fees Could Save You Tens of Thousands
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Josephine Nesbit
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Cory Dudak
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Consumers are rarely informed of the costs of medical treatment until they receive their hospital bill. There are federal laws in place to prevent surprise medical charges, but price comparisons were still impossible until now.
Nonprofit organization Patient Rights Advocate (PRA) recently launched the Hospital Price Files Finder, a free searchable database using compiled pricing data from nearly 6,000 hospitals. The tool is searchable by state and region, and constantly updates the dashboard to ensure the most current information available.
A federal law went into effect in 2021 preventing surprise medical charges. The law requires hospitals to publish a machine-readable pricing file for all items and services offered, including negotiated rates and discounted cash prices.
According to a 2022 Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of government data, nearly one in ten adults in the U.S. owe at least $250 in medical debt and at least three million people owe more than $10,000. Having a tool could make it easier for consumers to “shop around” when seeking non-emergency medical treatment and avoid big medical bills, PRA officials said.
However, PRA’s latest semi-annual report found that just 36% of hospitals are fully compliant with this law.
Cynthia Fisher, founder and chair of PRA, sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra explaining how this new tool could force hospitals to post pricing data as required by the federal price transparency law.
“Every day that prices are withheld from consumers, Americans are harmed by overcharges, unexpected bills, and unwarranted debt collection,” Fisher wrote. “Once actual prices are revealed by all hospitals and all insurers at every point of care, consumers can shop and compare.”
To use the tool, visit hospitalpricingfiles.org, select a state and then search the hospital name or by city or zip code. Select your hospital and download the Price Transparency File in an accessible spreadsheet format for up-to-date pricing data.
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