Senate Bill 383 aims to enhance price transparency in hospitals and restrict certain debt collection actions against patients. The bill mandates that hospitals provide publicly accessible cost information for specific items and services, including a digital file of standard charges in a machine-readable format. This file must include details such as gross charges, payer-specific negotiated charges, and discounted cash prices. Additionally, hospitals are required to maintain a consumer-friendly list of at least 300 shoppable services, which must be updated annually and made available without requiring user accounts or personal information. The Department of Health Services (DHS) is tasked with enforcing these requirements and monitoring hospital compliance, including taking corrective actions or imposing penalties for noncompliance.

Furthermore, the bill stipulates that any party seeking judgment against a patient for debts related to hospital services must certify that the hospital is compliant with the price transparency requirements before a judgment can be entered. The bill also includes amendments to existing statutes, replacing references to sections 50.39 with 50.42, thereby expanding the scope of the Hospital Regulation and Approval Act. Overall, the legislation seeks to improve transparency in hospital pricing and protect patients from aggressive debt collection practices when hospitals fail to comply with these new requirements.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 50.32, 50.33(intro.), 50.33, 50.33(3), 50.34, 50.36(1), 50.36, 50.39(1), 50.39, 50.39(2), 50.39(3), 50.39(4)