Kelly, Kennedy Team Up on Legislation to Require Health Care Price Transparency

Hartford –State Senator Kevin Kelly (R-Stratford) and State Senator Ted Kennedy, Jr. (D-Branford) are proposing legislation that would require health care providers to notify patients of the costs for routine health services. The proposed bill, which had a public hearing before the General Assembly’s Public Health Committee yesterday, would make healthcare costs more transparent and allow patients to make informed decisions when planning for medical treatments and care.

“People have a right to know how much everyday healthcare procedures cost. To properly support patient driven and patient centered healthcare, people need to be equipped with information to help them make informed decisions about their care,” Senator Kelly stated in written testimony submitted to the Public Health Committee.

“Managing personal healthcare expenses can be a complicated and frustrating experience, particularly given that the process for determining standard prices for routine care frequently lacks any clarity,” said Senator Kennedy. “This bill is a long overdue step towards ensuring that patients can make informed decisions by requiring healthcare providers to offer standard cost and payment information to policyholders for routine appointments, tests and procedures. Patients can only benefit from being given the data and tools they need to better assess their health and make the financial decisions that are right for themselves and their families.”

This legislation would require health care providers to post standard and customary prices for routine services. The goal of this legislation is to help patients better manage medical expenses, make informed choices when it comes to care, and give people the tools needed to calculate the actual cost of care, including total copays, deductibles and any additional expenses.

“Connecticut is far behind in providing meaningful price and quality transparency. The shifting healthcare landscape is increasingly difficult to navigate and the cost of care is increasingly burdensome to people across the state. By providing patients with information about costs for routine services, patients can be better informed, better prepared and better able to make important choices concerning the care they need to stay healthy,” said Kelly.

For more information on the bill, visit the CGA website and search for Proposed Senate Bill No. 687 (AN ACT CONCERNING NOTICE TO PATIENTS OF COSTS FOR ROUTINE HEALTH SERVICES) or click here.