Minnesota Senator Jason Rarick (R-Brook Park) today applauded the President for keeping his promise to increase transparency and accessibility to health care costs.
“Republicans in Minnesota have been working on prescription drug affordability for a while, and the changes coming out of President Trump’s administration will give patients even more information and more control,” said Sen. Rarick.
An Executive Order signed by the President last June directed various federal agencies to change rules and regulations in order to make sure information on health care costs is readily available. According to a Friday press release from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration finalized a rule that requires “hospitals to provide patients with clear, accessible information about their ‘standard charges’” for any items or services they provide patients beginning in 2021. The Administration is also proposing a rule change for “Transparency in Coverage” that will give most people access to price and cost-sharing information from their insurer to allow for comparison and price-shopping.
Bills authored by Senate Republicans that made the same changes to empower Minnesotans were passed and signed into law this year.
The Administration provided the following resources for more information:
- Fact sheet on the Calendar Year (CY) 2020 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) & Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Price Transparency Requirements for Hospitals to Make Standard Charges Public final rule (CMS-1717-F2): https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/cy-2020-hospital-outpatient-prospective-payment-system-opps-policy-changes-hospital-price
- Fact sheet on the Transparency in Coverage Proposed Rule (CMS-9915-P), please visit: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/transparency-coverage-proposed-rule-cms-9915-p
- The final rule (CMS-1717-F2) can be viewed here – PDF
- The proposed rule (CMS‑9915‑P) can be viewed here – PDF