Patients Deserve Price Tags Act
Senate Bill Would Require Hospitals to Post Prices Online, Honor Cash Rates
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- Hospitals would have to post their prices free online every month, using a standard format, and include at least 300 common “shoppable” services through 2026 (then all shoppable services).
- Posted hospital prices would have to include the list price, the cash price, and the negotiated prices for each insurer and plan—so people can compare options and see what their insurer likely pays.
- Hospitals would have to honor their posted cash price as “payment in full” for any patient who chooses to pay cash, even if the patient has insurance.
- Starting in 2027, many labs, imaging centers, and certain surgery centers would also have to post similar price information online, with penalties of up to $300 per day for noncompliance.
- Health plans would have to improve cost tools and provide clearer explanations of benefits and itemized bills; providers couldn’t send bills to collections without first giving an itemized bill, and violations could trigger penalties.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
Milestones
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Hearings held.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
4 articles
Healthcare debate rages as transparency bill gets rare bipartisan support
Spotlight on America investigates the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act, a bipartisan effort led by Senators Hickenlooper and Marshall. The bill aims to force hospitals and insurers to disclose actual prices upfront, moving beyond the 'good faith estimates' that have left patients with surprise bills.
Unpacking The Price Transparency Provisions Of The Patients Deserve Price Tags Act
This analysis explores how the bill codifies federal price transparency rules into law, making them more durable. It requires hospitals to post actual dollar amounts for 300 shoppable services through 2026 and all services thereafter, while mandating that hospitals honor posted cash prices.
Lawmakers seek more price transparency from hospitals
Bipartisan legislation introduced by Sens. Roger Marshall and John Hickenlooper would require hospitals, imaging centers, and labs to provide actual prices for services. The measure would mandate machine-readable files of negotiated rates and cash prices, with penalties for non-compliance.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Patients Deserve Price Tags Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(19)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.