Kentucky Rep. Steve Doan, a Republican from Erlanger and former Erlanger council member, has filed a bill in the General Assembly that, if passed, would mandate disclosure of pricing and other information from hospitals in the commonwealth.
“Too many Kentuckians are blindsided by exorbitant medical bills, with no way to compare prices before receiving care,” said Doan in a press release. “It’s time to end the hidden fees, surprise billing and opaque pricing that burden hardworking families.”
Co-sponsored by Rep. T.J. Roberts, a Republican from Burlington, House Bill 309 would mandate the following:
- Hospitals would have to maintain a publicly-accessible list of standard charges for services, as well charges with discounted cash rates and negotiated insurance rates.
- Hospitals would have to provide a freely accessible list of at least 300 of its most common services and attendant pricing information. Small facilities that do not have 300 services would need to furnish lists of what services they do have.
- Patients who believe a hospital is not compliant with the law may bring suit against the hospital if it attempts to collect medical debt from them. The hospital would not be able to pursue debt collection against that patient while the suit is pending.
Administration of the law would fall under the Cabinet of Health and Family Services, which could impose fines on non-compliant hospitals anywhere between $20 per bed per day to $11,000 per day, depending on the size of the facility.
The bill is currently being considered in the House Committee for Health Services. You can read a full text of the bill here.