HB743

I support HB743- relative to patient access to health care prices and billing practices. Although the Federal Hospital Price Transparency Law went into effect in 2021, last year PatientRightsAdvocate.org found that only 34.5% of hospitals were fully compliant. 2024 report from the Office of Inspector General found that 46% of hospitals did not comply with the requirements to make information on their standard charges available to the public. See the chart at this link, to see that our major hospitals in NH are also non-compliant. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60065b8fc8cd610112ab89a7/t/673dab32792bbc327302a44e/1732094770691/NH_New+Hampshire+-+7th+Semi-Annual+Hospital+Price+Transparency+Compliance+Report.pdf Most of the public does not even know about the federal law and that they have a right to request prices before their scheduled procedures. Our state should do more to help enforce this law and reinforce this at the state level. It is disturbing that healthcare is the only economic entity where the consumer knows nothing about the cost they can expect to pay until after the procedure is complete. That is identical to a contractor skipping a quote and sending you a bill after your house is built. The consumer has no way to shop around and compare services and the hospitals are not being held accountable. Prices can vary incredibly from one hospital to another. By not providing patients with an idea of how much their healthcare services costs, we are helping to contribute to frivolous spending. When I had a skin infection on my elbow, Parkland Medical in Derry did not have a technician available to do an MRI on a Saturday to exclude the possibility that the infection had traveled to the bone. Despite the fact that I could have driven myself to Portsmouth, the hospital they sent me to to get the test done, they preferred that I take their ambulance instead, just so I don’t have to be readmitted. Little did I know that the one hour ride will cost in excess of 4,000 dollars. I could have had my family fly to Europe and back with that money. My insurance company paid $3,000 and I got hit with a bill for the remainder. Had I been told about the cost, I could have easily saved that money and kept our insurance costs down as well. Consumers all over the state are irate about the completely unhinged medical fees they are being charged and getting in debt over so we need to take steps to reign this in by holding their feet to the fire and demanding clarity. The only people who would be against disclosing these prices are those who have something to gain from hiding this information from the public. New Hampshire must support its citizens by holding medical care providers accountable for being straight-forward about the prices they charge. It is only fair. Adrienne Soti Windham, NH February 12, 2025