Mitch PerryA measure sponsored by Palm Harbor Republican Rep. Chris Sprowls to provide more transparency about health care costs advanced in the House Health & Human Services Committee on Wednesday.
Sprowls said that among the provisions in the bill (HB 1175) would include allowing access for patients to learn about specific cost assessments that hospitals charge, as well utilize hospital culture surveys to learn about how those hospitals work.
It would also require the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) to contract with a vendor to provide Internet-based health information, require health insurers and HMOs to make available on their websites information to estimate certain health care services and charges, and require AHCA to design a patient safety culture survey for licensed hospitals and surgical centers.
The legislation comes months after Gov. Rick Scott began blasting hospitals of engaging in “price gouging,” an allegation that the industry strongly denies.
Sprowls’ bill on telehealth (HB 7087) also was approved by the committee.
Both branches of the Legislature have considered similar telehealth bills in the past two regular Legislative Sessions, but have been unable to get a bill to Governor Scott’s desk.
