Center for Healthcare Affordability Urges Senate Co-sponsorship and Passage of Patients Deserve Price Tags Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Center for Healthcare Affordability (CHA), a newly launched initiative housed at the Institute for Legislative Analysis, today urged senators to cosponsor and pass the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act, co-sponsored by Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS).

This bi-partisan bill strengthens healthcare price transparency so patients can see real prices before they get care, instead of being caught by hidden rates and surprise bills. CHA supports the legislation because it would create enforceable price disclosure across the healthcare landscape from hospitals to health insurers.

The Patients Deserve Price Tags Act requires that all standard charges and negotiated prices in a clear format and expands the transparency framework to additional settings like imaging services and ambulatory surgery centers. The bill also requires insurers and health plans to give businesses and patients clearer cost information and more meaningful explanations of benefits, including itemized descriptions and billing codes so patients can understand what was charged and what they owe.

The legislation also allows employer-based plans access to claims and payment data that is often difficult to identify. It will enable them to discern how providers and administrative middle-men are being paid and give them the ability to negotiate better deals with providers. CHA believes these reforms would help patients shop for better care, help employers understand healthcare spending, and is a tremendous first step to enabling patients to know the actual cost of medical services and how much their insurance will pay.

CHA announced that Senate co-sponsorships of the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act are being scored in the Healthcare Affordability Index. CHA will also key vote all actions taken by the Senate on the legislation, including procedural votes and final passage.

"Allowing patients to see the real prices that different providers charge and how much other people are paying, can be an effective way to bring down the cost of healthcare," said Emily Hargan, Senior Fellow at the Center for Healthcare Affordability. "The Patients Deserve Price Tags Act is an important step toward restoring basic fairness, accountability, and market discipline in healthcare."

The Center for Healthcare Affordability is a project of the Institute for Legislative Analysis. The Center serves as a comprehensive resource for lawmakers, employers, and policy leaders seeking practical solutions to the healthcare cost crisis and a clearer understanding of how public policy affects affordability across the system.

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