Senate and House congressional committees have advanced legislation that would require certain health care providers, including ambulatory surgery centers (ACSs) to publicly disclose their prices.
Bills advanced by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and House Ways and Means Committee would require ASCs to disclose payer-specific negotiated charges, as well as gross charges and discounted cash prices. The Senate bill and a bill advanced by the House Energy and Commerce Committee would also require ASCs to disclose ownership information.
ASGE has argued the bill requirements are onerous, will create consumer confusion and that the best source of price information for insured consumers is from their insurance company.
With health care price transparency legislation poised for advancement in an end-of-year congressional package, ASGE will continue to advocate for changes to the legislation to ensure that transparency requirements are common-sense, and do not impose greater administrative burden on ASCs or expose them to monetary penalties for good-faith efforts to meet disclosure requirements.