A new price transparency law in North Carolina now requires hospital bills to be "in plain, easy-to-understand language without obscure codes and medical jargon." (Raleigh News & Observer.) Beginning next June, North Carolina hospitals must post pricing and payments for their most common admissions, surgeries, and imaging procedures. Hospitals must also list prices and reimbursement rates for Medicare, Medicaid, large private insurers, and uninsured patients.
The bill also provides increased patient protection from bill-collecting, requiring hospitals to provide written notice to patients before sending the patient's bill to a collection agency, and to not refer unpaid bills to collection agencies while a patient request for charity care is pending. Finally, the bill prevents hospitals from collecting unpaid bills from pateints' state tax return or lottery winnings.
"Financially speaking, patients soon will find visits to North Carolina hospitals to be a less painful and less mystifying experience." (Raleigh News & Observer.)
Very cool - I wonder if this will advance price transparency savings.
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