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Beginning in January 2021, every hospital operating in the U.S.
was required to provide clear, accessible pricing information
online about the items and services they provide.
PatientRightsAdvocate.org found that only 319 hospitals, or 16%
nationwide, were complying with the law. A total of 101
hospitals did not post any standard charges online and were in
total noncompliance.
The group reviewed the websites of 2,000 of the more than 6,000
licensed hospitals in the United States.
"We evaluated the compliance of the 1,000 hospitals analyzed in
our February 2022 report and reviewed an additional 1,000
hospitals subject to the rule," the group said.
Founder and Chair Cynthia Fisher said the law was enacted to
allow patients to choose where they receive medical care.
“Price transparency is truly transformative,” Fisher said. “It
shifts the power to the patient to be able in advance to know
actual prices before they get care.”
Fisher said the federal government has fined hospitals for not
complying with the law.
“Our report shows that enforcement does work and it works when
there are fines issued to the hospitals making them
accountable,” she said.
The report said 26 Illinois hospitals are not complying with the
law, including Clay County Hospital, Trinity Rock Island and
Midwest Medical Center in Galena. It highlighted a dozen
hospitals that are complying and providing prices, including
Paris Community Hospital, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and
Franklin Hospital in Benton.
Kevin Bessler reports on statewide issues in
Illinois for the Center Square. He has over 30 years of
experience in radio news reporting throughout the Midwest.
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