House Bill No. introduced by B. Mercer aims to enhance pricing transparency for hospitals in Montana by mandating the publication of standard charges and charges for shoppable services. The bill requires hospitals to maintain and publicly disclose a comprehensive list of all standard charges for hospital items and services, including gross charges, deidentified minimum and maximum negotiated charges, and discounted cash prices. This information must be made available in a machine-readable format on the hospital's website and updated at least annually. Additionally, hospitals are required to provide a consumer-friendly list of at least 300 shoppable services, detailing each service's pricing and billing codes. Hospitals must also submit their pricing lists and facility fee reports to the Department of Public Health and Human Services, which will oversee compliance and enforcement, including penalties for noncompliance.

The bill introduces new provisions regulating hospital practices related to patient debt collection, establishing that violations of specified provisions are unlawful practices. Patients injured by these violations can seek damages after reporting the issue to the hospital and allowing a 30-day period for resolution. Hospitals are prohibited from initiating collection actions against patients for debts incurred while in violation of the requirements. If a hospital is found noncompliant, it must refund payments, pay penalties, and remove negative credit reports related to the debt. The bill also defines key terms such as "collection action," "debt," and "consumer reporting agency" to clarify its provisions and mandates the department to adopt necessary rules for implementation, along with an annual report to the legislature on compliance efforts.