Health Care Prices Remain A Secret In Most States

When it comes to requiring healthcare prices to be made public, only five states adequately make the information transparent to consumers.

The third annual report from the Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute and Catalyst for Payment Reform shows little progress is being made despite what seems to be more activity in state legislatures discussing the need for price information, particularly at a time more Americans are gaining health coverage under the Affordable Care Act. 45 of 50 states fail when it comes to disclosing healthcare price information to the public, the report says.

Though there are still some state legislatures in session, the organizations gave just five states a passing grade when it comes to price transparency because they have laws on the books. States with high grades generally share information about inpatient and outpatient services via a website that can be accessed by anyone.

Information about price information is becoming more important as employers shift more costs onto workers, generally in the form of higher co-payments and deductibles. Thus, the lack of transparent price information means consumers still don’t know what the real cost of healthcare is.

The latest report card from the Institute and Catalyst shows only New Hampshire received an “A,” which is an improvement from last year when no states received such an excellent grade. Colorado and Maine earned “Bs” while Vermont and Virginia each earned a “C.”