HHS pushes for more transparency in health care pricing

HHS late last week announced two new proposed rules aimed at ensuring transparency in health care costs. One rule would require most insurance companies to disclose upfront prices of the services they cover. Companies would have to provide patients with an online pricing tool, including estimates of what they can expect to pay. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association largely opposed the rule, saying that transparency would lead to providers “bidding up” prices rather than lowering them. A similar rule is being proposed for hospitals to disclose what they charge for common inpatient and outpatient services such as X-rays. Hospitals will have to abide by the final rule from Jan. 1, 2021, and noncompliance could lead to a fine of up to $300 a day. Four major groups, including the American Hospital Association, stated that they plan a legal challenge.